Beagle Freedom Project - Second Rescue - June 8, 2011
"These dogs have lived in cages their whole lives,"
said Gary Smith, who would be caring for some of the 40 beagles that
were rescued from a lab in Europe
Forty male beagles raised inside a lab in Spain arrived in Los Angeles last week where they will be
put up for adoption after being freed from captivity by the Beagle Freedom Project.
The rescue mission is the largest yet for the group Animal Rescue
Media Education (ARME). A total of 72 dogs were rescued in the effort,
32 of them having already been adopted in Europe, according to NBC Los Angeles.
ARME's Beagle Freedom Project spokesman Gary Smith said the beagles,
all between ages 4 and 7, had lived in cages their entire lives.
"We've been told they lived one per cage in rooms of 10 beagles, but
they never had any physical interaction with one another," Smith told
the station. "They've been in kennels since they were rescued about a
week ago, but aside from that, they've spent most of their lives locked
up."
According to the
Beagle Freedom Project's website,
beagles are the breed of choice for lab testing of pharmaceutical,
household, and cosmetic products due to their "friendly, docile,
trusting, forgiving, people-pleasing personalities," their ability to
adapt to life in a cage and the fact that they are relatively
inexpensive to feed.
About the Beagle Freedom Project
Beagle Freedom Project began in December 2010 when Shannon Keith received information
that beagles who were used for animal experiments in a research lab were to be given
a chance at freedom. Our mission is rescuing and finding homes for beagles used in laboratory research.
Beagles are the most popular breed for lab use because of their friendly, docile,
trusting, forgiving, people-pleasing personalities. The research industry says
they adapt well to living in a cage, and are inexpensive to feed. Research beagles
are usually obtained directly from commercial breeders who specifically breed dogs
to sell to scientific institutions.
Testing done on beagles in university and other research facilities includes
medical/pharmaceutical, household products and cosmetics. When they are no longer
wanted for research purposes, some labs attempt to find homes for adoptable, healthy
beagles. Working directly with these labs, Beagle Freedom Project is able to remove and
transport beagles to place them in loving homes. All rescues are done legally with the
cooperation of the facility.
Anyone interested in fostering or adopting a lab beagle should be
aware
of the challenges these dogs have. They will not be accustomed to
life in
a home and will not have experience with children, cats, or other
dogs.
They will not be house-trained and accidents will happen, although
they learn quickly. Many have gone directly from a commercial breeder
to the lab, and have never felt grass under their feet or even seen the
sun. They will have been fed a special diet formulated for lab animals
and may be difficult to adjust to new foods. They will be unfamiliar
with treats, toys, bedding and may never have walked on a leash. They
will have lived in cages with steel wire floors and may have inflamed or
infected paws from the pressure. They may be fearful of people
initially and may have phobias from a lifetime in confinement or from
being restrained. They are likely to have been surgically de-barked by
the breeder and have an ID number tattooed in their ear. Please also be
aware that although these beagles are considered healthy, you will be
given very little information about the beagle’s medical history, and
you will not be told its origins or what kind of testing they may have
been used for.
With time, patience, play, companionship, love – and most of all, freedom – these
dogs will learn how to become dogs, and their transformation will be amazing.
Our hope is that with your help, we can encourage more research labs to release
animals and give them a chance at life, instead of destroying adoptable pets.
Beagle Freedom Project is a service of Animal Rescue, Media & Education (ARME).
Founded in 2004, ARME is a nonprofit advocacy group created to eliminate the suffering of
all animals through rescue, public education and outreach. ARME has found homes for thousands
of homeless and abandoned animals. In 2004 ARME organized the first-ever "Shelter Drive"
to provide creature comforts to homeless animals such as beds, toys and treats.
ARME’s Shelter Drive became an annual tradition uniting volunteers with businesses
that allowed drop boxes for donations. ARME’s compassionate army also helps feed
and shelter displaced animals when Southern California fires strike residential areas.
As a 501(c)(3) organization contributions to ARME are tax-deductible. To donate please
click here. For more information please see www.arme.tv.
BeagleFreedomProject
on Jan 4, 2011
When the beagles are no longer needed for research, some labs contact
organizations such as ARME, who then work to find good homes for the
dogs.
Back in June, the organization gave nine lab beagles a second chance at life, filming their first steps out of their cages.
ARME is a non-profit advocacy group and 501(c)(3) organization
funded by tax-deductible contributions. Information on how to make a
donation or adopt a beagle is available on the
organization's website.
