Beagles rescued from laboratory set to be adopted

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) - A group of beagles that have spent their entire lives in a laboratory have been rescued and are on their way to their forever homes.

Canadian-based rescue The Beagle Alliance rescued the beagles from a lab in the Midwest and brought them out to experience a grassy yard for the first time.

Lori Cohen, the executive director at The Beagle Alliance, said that she cannot disclose from which laboratory the beagles came. It is also unclear what was done to them, but she said most dogs are used for biomedical or drug testing.

“There’s some decompression to happen and just love and patience, and slowly, they come out of their shells,” Cohen said.

More than 250 U.S. institutions report using dogs in experiments each year. The majority are companies, community or technical colleges, and public universities.

“Beagles are the most used breed of dog used in laboratory testing because they are docile, they are forgiving and can easily fit into a cage, unfortunately,” Cohen said.

Some states, including Minnesota, have laws that require laboratories to offer dogs to shelters for adoption when possible.

“Most animals are euthanized after study, and they don’t have to be. As we know, they can go on to live longer lives outside of the cage than inside of the cage,” Cohen said.

Volunteer Kathy Myer adopted two of her own dogs from animal testing.

“Seeing my dogs and what they’ve been through and overcome, and then knowing they are on their way to a great life, it’s just amazing,” she said.

The dogs will go to Canada with the rescue, where they will be fostered and then adopted.

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