More than 60,000 dogs are used in animal tests every year in the United States. Michael Svoboda/iStockphoto

You may have seen in the news that our Animal Rescue Team was approached by the U.S. Department of Justice to remove roughly 4,000 beagles from a breeding facility that supplied laboratories that test on animals. We are honored to have been chosen to lead this historic effort and to coordinate the placement of these dogs with our shelter partners to ultimately find them loving homes.

This removal of the beagles comes as a result of a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice in May that described shocking violations of the Animal Welfare Act at the breeding facility, owned by a company called Envigo. Government inspectors found that beagles there were being killed instead of receiving veterinary treatment for easily treated conditions; nursing mother beagles were denied food; the food that they did receive contained maggots, mold and feces; and over an eight-week period, 25 beagle puppies died from cold exposure. Other dogs suffered from injuries when they were attacked by other dogs in overcrowded conditions.

Finding partners who can make space and find homes for around 4,000 dogs in the summer—a time of year when animal shelters already are over-capacity—will be a feat of epic proportions. We are ready to take on the challenge and are grateful to our rescue and shelter partners—a network of local rescue groups and shelters in communities throughout the country—whose dedicated efforts will make it possible for these dogs to find loving homes.

While our Animal Rescue Team works to provide immediate relief to these roughly 4,000 dogs, others in our organization are working to prevent suffering for animals through legislative, regulatory and corporate efforts, as well as public education. In that vein, our campaign to end the use of animals in laboratory testing is one of our top priorities. We work with policymakers and those within the biomedical industry to replace inhumane and unreliable animal tests with more innovative, advanced and reliable non-animal methods. 

Our separate undercover investigation at an animal testing laboratory in Indiana owned by Inotiv showed the type of fate that dogs sold to laboratories experience. The results of that investigation, which we released earlier this year, documented animals being force-fed high doses of drugs via tubes or intravenously, sometimes several times a day. Some animals were unable to move because of the drugs’ toxic effects; others died during procedures. The studies conducted at Inotiv were intended to test drug toxicity and were funded by dozens of pharmaceutical companies.

Approximately 90% of drugs ultimately fail in human trials. An estimated half of this is due to unexpected toxicity in humans following animal tests, when no toxicity in other animals was observed. Continued reliance on animal testing discourages innovation, perpetuates animal suffering and can ultimately lead to human suffering due to high drug failure rates.

We will not stop fighting for better approaches in research and testing to address the suffering of hundreds of thousands of animals—including dogs, primates, pigs, mice and rats—who are in laboratories and the breeding facilities that supply them right now, and the millions who suffer every year.

State lawmakers are starting to take action. Thanks to Senators Jennifer Boysko (D), Bill Stanley (R), Delegate Rob Bell (R) and Governor Glenn Youngkin (R), Virginia this year passed sweeping reforms to address the use of dogs bred for and used in research, and legislation is pending in California, Michigan and Massachusetts. This is just the beginning of our state legislative work to ensure that animals in labs no longer suffer.

We are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and pharmaceutical industry to accelerate changes to ultimately replace outdated animal tests with superior modern technologies. You can add your voice to our calls for action.

Keep up with the latest news about the beagles here

Sara Amundson is president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund.

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I would like to adopt one of the beagles. How do I sign up?

Elyse Belanger Bailey elyse.belanger@gmail.com

I would like to adopt 2 males I live in arkansas

Thank you, Helen, for wanting to adopt one of the 4,000 rescued beagles. You can find information about how to adopt one here

Esto no lo podemos permitir más tenemos que hacer algo para salvar a miles de Beagles y acabar con esta crueldad es muy importante terminar con esta inhumanidad y violencia

I was wondering where we could fill out an application to adopt these precious Beagles?❤️

Hi, I’m interested in adopting a beagle , what I have to do? Thank you for all you guys are doing

I am from Savannah, GA trying to find out how to adopt a puppy. I have been trying to find out how to adopt a female beagle puppy and I have no luck. I did contact my local Humane Society but they are not taking in any beagles. We all are fond of beagles and this story has inspired all. We pray they have warm homes to go to. I haven’t gotten any answer as how to adopt one. Please help. Thank you. 🙏🏽

Thank you, Maidhilee, for wanting to adopt one of the 4,000 rescued beagles. You can find information about how to adopt one here

I am interested in adopting. agalati1004@aol.com

Thank you, Andrea, for wanting to adopt one of the 4,000 rescued beagles. You can find information about how to adopt one here

We need to put these companies out of business. And the techs working there should go to jail for animal abuse. Start cleaning up our human gene pool by getting rid of the filthily human trash and save the dogs. No more breeding.

I would like to adopt a female 6-12 months old. I live in Michigan, have had bedagles befreo, have 1 now who is getting on in years. Her friend passed a couple of years ago. Will not be used for hunting and as a house pet only.

Thank you, Paul, for wanting to adopt one of the 4,000 rescued beagles. You can find information about how to adopt one here

Hello, I would love to adopt one of these sweet beagles. how do I sign up?

Thank you, Kaitlyn, for wanting to adopt one of the 4,000 rescued beagles. You can find information about how to adopt one here

How does my family adopt a beagle?

Thank you, Amy, for wanting to adopt one of the 4,000 rescued beagles. You can find information about how to adopt one here

I would like to adopt a younger female.

Thank you, Roger, for wanting to adopt one of the 4,000 rescued beagles. You can find information about how to adopt one here

I’m looking to adopt a beagle and can’t find any list. Looking from Spokane Washington

Thank you, Elizabeth, for wanting to adopt one of the 4,000 rescued beagles. You can find information about how to adopt one here

I’ve donated a few hundred. I love beagles. I’d adopt or foster. It is odd though I didn’t see all this when it was found out that the department Fauci ran, using beagles for research, was found allowing mites attack beagles. The scientists doing the experiments removed their vocal cords since the noise bothered the researchers. I didn’t see any big info from you all or the Dept of Justice. Odd

But I’ll definitely adopt or foster a beagle

Kitty.. First ,Thank you to All of you for this Rescue. I have a Senior lab Beagle now (Bentley)is his name.Unfortunately he was tested on but fortunately we have him and he’s living a wonderful life now.

I have three Beagles 8 , 7 , 1 . I would love to even foster. I have a large fenced in yard along with a doggie door to the yard. I will be praying these fur babies find forever homes where they deserve all the love and care! Until then i will make donations to help keep these guys feed . Beagles love their food lol

How can i apply to get one of these Beagle puppies? I would very much like to adopt one.

My husband and I would like to adopt 2 young or puppies from the beagle rescue. Can someone let us know how to ho about it? Where and with whom do we need to contact?

These are rescue partners who will be getting Beagles, as listed with the HSUS. I live in Virginia and have already sent my application into Homeward Trails. I’m sure that before the dogs are up for adoption they will have to be examined and taken care of medically with shots, spay neuter, dental work if needed. Homeward Trails (Virginia) Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary (Wyoming) Massachusetts SPCA (Massachusetts) Northeast Animal Shelter (Massachusetts) Priceless Pets (California)

Hello My name is Mattox and I would like to adopt one of the beagles you are rescueing.. can you tell me how I can adopt one?

Lucian Kaminski L-Junk@Juno.com

I would like to adapt a male and a female.

I’ve been trying my hardest to adopt a lab beagle ever since I found out they use them for experimental. As a kid growing up, I always saw on the news and thought they use mice for laboratory testing. Now finding out that the FDA and the USDA are heartless. I donate $200 a month to 2 different organizations (1 of them is help release beagles from the lab and now I added a third monthly donation (humane society). The problem I’m having trying to adopt those precious beagles is because I live on the east coast. Most of them either are on the west or mid coast. Please try to send some of them to the east coast shelters and email me if you can so I can give them a loving home and normal life they deserve.

I would like to adopt 2 please. Always have fostered and adopted from shelters

I would love one of these beagles. please contact me

Thank you, Janet, for wanting to adopt one of the 4,000 rescued beagles. You can find information about how to adopt one here

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