27 beagles need help in Georgia after they were rescued from a future in testing labs

Employees with the Atlanta Humane Society crouched on the floor, speaking in soft voices and holding treats and peanut butter to coax the timid beagles out of their kennels.

One staffer even broke out a bottle of Cheez Whiz.

“We try to use positive reinforcement, so there was a lot of that going on yesterday,” Christina Hill, spokeswoman for the Atlanta Humane Society, told McClatchy News.

On June 15, 27 beagles arrived at the Atlanta Humane Society after they were seized from a facility that breeds dogs to be sold to laboratories for testing, Hill said.

The dogs, which were living in cramped, unsanitary conditions, will need “expensive and extensive” care, according to a statement from the organization, which is asking for donations.

Of the beagles, which range in age from a few months to 10 years, some have dental disease and others have cuts and scratches, Hill said. But while they grew up with minimal interaction with people and don’t know how to walk on leashes, Hill said the dogs were friendlier than expected.

“They were happy. They were curious,” she said.

They are currently undergoing evaluations, and the organization aims to put them up for adoption, she said.

The group of 27 beagles was part of a larger cohort of more than 400 beagles seized from the facility, said Kirsten Peek, spokeswoman for the Humane Society of the United States. The dogs were split up and taken to shelters across the country.

Peek said the Humane Society of the United States could not publicly disclose the facility or the state where the dogs were seized.

Beagles rescue in Virginia

Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, told McClatchy News that 446 beagles were recently rescued from a breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia, owned by Envigo, a scientific research company headquartered in Indiana.

The facility had been the target of dozens of complaints and citations as well as an undercover investigation by PETA, Guillermo said.

Pursuant to a search warrant in May, the Department of Justice with the assistance of the Humane Society of the United States seized nearly 450 dogs from the facility that were deemed to be in “acute distress,” Guillermo said. Around 3,000 dogs still remain at the facility.

In a June 13 statement, Robert Leasure Jr., vice president of Inotiv, a research company that acquired Envigo in November 2021, said that the company had implemented a closure plan for the breeding facility. It is expected to be closed by December 2022.

Guillermo said she is concerned about the fate of the remaining 3,000 animals, which could still be sold to laboratories before the facility’s closure.

It’s unclear if the beagles brought to the Atlanta Humane Society were in fact the beagles rescued from Virginia.

On June 17, a judge issued a preliminary injunction against the Envigo breeding facility but said the company could “fulfill its existing contracts,” according to an opinion provided to McClatchy News by PETA. This means that more than 500 dogs could be sold to laboratories for testing within the next 30 days, PETA says.

“Inotiv owes these beagles the opportunity to have what every dog deserves—the freedom to enjoy life in a loving home,” Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA’s senior vice president of cruelty investigations said in a statement. “It’s time for this company to finally do the right thing: Let all the dogs be adopted now.”

Sale of animals to labs

While animal testing and the breeding of animals to be sold to laboratories are legal practices, facilities must comply with the Animal Welfare Act, a law that regulates the treatment of animals, Peek said.

Guillermo said beagles are the most common breed of dog used in laboratories because of their gentle nature and fondness for people.

For dogs rescued after living under difficult conditions with little contact with people, it can take some time to adjust to life outside, she said.

“They’ve never climbed stairs, felt grass underneath their feet,” she said. “They don’t know what cars are. They’ve never interacted with people other than inside their own cage. Everything is new to them.”

But many people have already shown interest in the beagles recently brought to the Atlanta Humane Society, Hill said.

“Once they’re available for adoption, I’m sure they’ll be gone very quickly,” she said. “They’re so very cute.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 6:25 PM with the headline "27 beagles need help in Georgia after they were rescued from a future in testing labs."