The Humane Society of the United States is rescuing around 4,000 beagles from a Virginia breeding facility in its most extraordinary rescue mission to date.
After a series of inspections over nine months revealed dozens of animal welfare violations, a federal judge ordered the dogs’ release from the Envigo RMS facility. The facility bred and sold animals for laboratory research purposes.
The Humane Society will transfer the dogs to shelters where they will be up for adoption.
What Investigators Found
The U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted its investigation between July 2021 and March 2022. Altogether, investigators found 73 AWA (American Welfare Act) violations.
The violations included:
- Dogs, including nursing mothers, being denied food
- Animals fed food contaminated with mold, live insects and feces
- Dogs with treatable conditions euthanized in place of treatment, sometimes without anesthesia
- Dangerous conditions, including waste accumulation and lack of air conditioning.
As a result of the findings, the Department of Justice filed a suit against Envigo RMS in May. Additionally, officials seized 145 dogs requiring urgent or life-saving care.
Moreover, Envigo RMS is now permanently barred from conducting any activity at the facility that requires an AWA license. Inotiv Inc., which acquired Envigo RMS in 2001, said it would close the facility.
How to Help the Beagles
Because of the sheer number of dogs, the Humane Society faces a tremendous challenge in finding homes for the surviving beagles. So far, the organization has partnered with eight shelters. But that list is likely to grow in the coming weeks.
“This is one of the largest dog rescue efforts ever coordinated and has truly been a group effort,” Sue Bell, executive director of Homeward Trails, said in a statement. “To know that these dogs will get to have the lives they deserve and not languish in cages for the rest of their lives is just so rewarding.”
For information on how to adopt a beagle or assist with the rescue effort, visit the USHS’s website.
