Humane Society Rescues Last of the 4,000 Beagles From Envigo Facility

Austin Cannon
·2 min read
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two beagle puppies out of the 4000 beagles that the Humane Society is rescuing from Envigo's mass breeding facility play together with a tennis ball
two beagle puppies out of the 4000 beagles that the Humane Society is rescuing from Envigo's mass breeding facility play together with a tennis ball

Meredith Lee / The Humane Society of the United States

The Humane Society of the United States announced Thursday it had concluded its months-long mission to rescue more than 4,000 beagles from a Virginia breeding facility accused of housing the dogs in miserable, unsafe conditions.

In a "mission accomplished" news release, the society said its team removed the final 312 dogs from the Envigo campus Thursday morning. Fifty-two dogs are headed to the Humane Society's care center, and all 312 of them will be distributed to the society's more than 100 shelter and rescue partners.

Those shelters, found across the country, are where the beagles will eventually find their new families—though they probably won't be as famous as Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who adopted one of the rescued beagles in California.

"Now the beagles' next steps begin as they enjoy their new lease on life. The HSUS will continue the work of promoting alternatives to animal testing so that this antiquated practice may come to an end," Miguel Abi-hassan, chief animal rescue, care, and sanctuary officer for the Humane Society, said in a statement.

RELATED: What You Need To Know About the 4,000 Beagles Being Rescued From a Virginia Breeding Facility

Government inspections from last year into this spring revealed several Animal Welfare Act violations at the Cumberland, Va., facility. Inspectors found the dogs living in dirty, dangerous conditions in which some beagles were served moldy food and confined in too-hot shelters. Some of the dogs sadly died.

The government sued Envigo, a pharmaceutical and biotechnology research firm, in May, and eventually the company entered a settlement and agreed to free the dogs. Envigo's parent company also decided to shutter the Cumberland breeding facility, and the Humane Society began taking the dogs last month.

As you can see above, the puppies seem happy to be out of the facility and beginning their lives as pets. Visit this link to see if any of the cute, adoptable puppies are available in your area.