One year after forty beagles were rescued from an animal testing facility in Spain, the rescued pups got together for a reunion to celebrate their new lives.
A year ago these beagles had never known what life was like outside of the testing facility. Most had never been outside and had spent their lives in individual cages. They had only been known by a number tattooed on their ear. Beagles are commonly used in laboratory testing because the breed is very docile. When the testing facility closed down the dogs were facing being euthanized until Beagle Freedom Project stepped in to rescue all 40 dogs and rehome them. Last Thanksgiving eve all 40 beagles arrived on a flight into Los Angeles to start their new lives.
One of the families that adopted a beagle from this rescue effort was the Yanez family. Their beagle, Uno, has flourished in the past year. When he first came to the family he was very skinny and had wounds on his paws and head from testing. Now Uno is a loving, happy pet. “I love him a lot because he gives love to us. He’s a good dog. He listens,” said 8-year-old Olivia Yanez.
This past weekend a reunion was held to bring many of the beagles and their new families together. The beagles aren’t the only ones whose lives have changed. “Most of the people who adopted from us changed almost everything about their lifestyle. They stopped purchasing products that were tested on animals” said Shannon Keith of the Beagle Freedom Project.
