4,000 Beagles Were Rescued From A 'Prison-Like' US Facility & You Can Adopt One Right Now
Would you give a good home to a beagle that was meant to be used in lab experiments?
Thousands of dogs have been rescued from a commercial breeding operation in Virginia, where activists say the animals lived in "prison-like" conditions until the authorities stepped in.
Now, a judge has ordered that all 4,000 or so beagles be adopted out to new homes, in a move that will spare them from a life of experimentation.
So if you love beagles and you've been thinking about adding a furry friend to your life, this might be the universe giving you a sign.
The beagles were being raised by a scientific research organization called Envigo in Cumberland, Virginia. However, the facility was recently shut down after PETA went undercover and exposed what it described as a "hellhole" of a puppy mill at the site.
U.S. officials also inspected the site and found more than 70 animal welfare violations, according to U.S. senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia.
"After months of advocacy, we're heartened to know that nearly 4,000 Envigo dogs will be spared a lifetime of suffering and will instead head to loving homes," they said in a joint statement.
Envigo's parent company agreed to shutter the facility last month, saying that it would take too much time and effort to address all the issues that authorities found.
Some 500 beagles are already at the Homeward Trails shelter in Fairfax, with many more expected to arrive as the facility is cleared out over the next 60 days. Several of them are currently up for adoption.
"I'm excited to tell the story of these dogs and what they've endured," the shelter's founder, Sue Bell, told the New York Times. "I really hope that the public will step up and we can see this as the beginning of a pretty pivotal change."
So if you want to adopt and you're in the Virginia area, you can reach out to Homeward Trails directly. And if you're not nearby, the non-profit is also accepting donations online.
"It will cost an average of $265 per dog to get them fully vetted and ready for adoption," the shelter said in a Facebook post.
"They deserve to live lives as family members and we are desperate to make that happen as soon as possible."
