Fearful beagles are brought out of a vehicle and into the arms of volunteers at Homeward Trails in Fairfax Station, Virginia, one by one. All the volunteers want to do is care for the dogs and let them be dogs.
Envigo RMS, which raised beagles for medical research, formerly owned the dogs. The firm also provided mice, rats, and other animals to researchers, as well as other associated services.
However, a federal court ordered the corporation to surrender all of the facility’s beagles last month after federal investigators accused the company of a number of animal welfare infractions. They now need new housing.
Sue Bell, CEO of Homeward Trails, said that the dogs had never seen grass or toys.
“They haven’t touched a non-rubber surface since they were born […] You can see them starting to run and hop. They’ve never done something like that before […] They’ve never seen a toy before. They’ve never sat on a lap before. So it’s a day full of firsts for them “Manuel Bojorquez of CBS News was informed by Bell. Bell said that the pups born at Envigo RMS had their ears tattooed with serial numbers before being shipped abroad for testing.
“The pups that were born would remain until a certain age and then they would be packed in plastic boxes and flown either by truck or by airline to research centers where they would spend their lives in a cage undergoing any variety of medical or scientific study endeavors,” she said.
PETA’s undercover video from a months-long operation aided in the commencement of a federal probe into the dogs’ abuse.
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Envigo RMS in May, stating that the firm failed to provide “humane care and treatment to the thousands of beagles at the corporation’s Cumberland facility.” According to the lawsuit, Envigo RMS did not satisfy the Animal Welfare Act’s “minimum criteria for handling, lodging, feeding, watering, cleanliness, and proper veterinary care, among other obligations.”
The HSUS transports 4,000 beagles to a care and rehabilitation center.
On Thursday, July 21, 2022, an HSUS Animal Rescue Team member transports four beagle pups into the organization’s care and rehabilitation center in Maryland, after the removal of the first 201 beagles as part of a transfer plan from Envigo RMS LLC’s facility in Cumberland, VA.
AP / KEVIN WOLF
In a deal this month, the business agreed to close the plant but did not acknowledge wrongdoing. CBS News has reached out to Envigo RMS for comment and is waiting to hear back.
“The irony is that these Beagles are the fortunate ones because the circumstances were terrible enough to merit this intervention from the Department of Justice,” said Kristen Peek, Manager of Media Relations at The Humane Society.
The Humane Society is assisting with the transportation and placement of the Cumberland facility’s remaining 4,000 beagles. Due of the huge amount of beagles, the Humane Society is working on a rotating basis and collaborating with shelters and rescue groups around the nation, according to Peek.
There were eight pups in the litter that came at Homeward Trails in Fairfax Station, VA. The @HumaneSociety has worked with about 100 shelters throughout the country to assist take in the rescued beagles, calling it one of their largest animal rescues to date. pic.twitter.com/aqPClCGUp0
August 9, 2022 — Manuel Bojorquez (@BojorquezCBS)
“The roughly 4,000 canines are being moved in batches. We’re taking them up in batches of 300 to 500 at a time. As a result, some of them end up at the Humane Society of the United States’ care and rehabilitation facility. Some go straight to shelters and rescue organizations “Peek said.
Many individuals have been drawn to the narrative, including Andrea Justice, who visited some of the beagles at Homeward Trails.
“There’s plenty of place in our hearts and in our home,” Justice added.
The Humane Society provides a list of shelter and rescue partners around the nation that will help with beagle placement.