Two Beagles Rescued From Virginia Breeding Facility To Compete In This Year’s Puppy Bowl

Allison and Briscoe will both compete for Team Ruff this Sunday.

Two puppies freed from a research facility in Cumberland, Virginia, in “one of the largest dog rescue efforts ever coordinated,” are competing for Team Ruff in this year’s Puppy Bowl.

Allison and Briscoe were amongst 4,000 beagles removed from Envigo's breeding facility after investigators found hundreds of unexplained puppy deaths and more than 70 animal welfare violations at the massive lab. Inotiv, Envigo's parent company, announced the closure of the Cumberland facility shortly after a federal judge ordered that the dogs be freed and put up for adoption in July 2022. The dogs were transferred to humane societies across the United States and most were adopted into loving homes.

Allison, described as a “go-getter,” was only four weeks old when her mom and littermates arrived at Green Dogs Unleashed in Troy, Virginia, for a new start in life. Briscoe, a “playful and resilient little guy,” was part of a group of 17 beagles that was transferred to the Virginia Beach SPCA. Both puppies were adopted after the Puppy Bowl was filmed in August.

Puppy Bowl XIX features 122 dogs from 67 shelters and 34 states, including for the first time a Native American animal organization and a puppy from Dominica, West Indies. You can watch the adorable competition on Sunday, February 12 at 2 p.m. EST on Animal Planet.

Go Allison and Briscoe!

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