The San Diego Humane Society welcomed 108 of the 4,000 beagles rescued from a Virginia facility that bred the dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation.
About 50 of the beagles will stay with SDHS fosters until adoption, and others will be placed with other animal welfare organizations, including San Diego Animal Welfare Coalition partners Rancho Coastal Humane Society and PAWS of Coronado.
Greater Good Charities airlifted the beagles, in the organizations second airlift of beagles removed from Envigo. The first flight on Aug. 20 transported 146 beagles to Portland, Ore.
“For our staff and volunteers, this day could not come soon enough,” said San Diego Humane Society President and CEO Dr. Gary Weitzman. “This has been one of the busiest and most challenging summers in recent memory. But we are here to help animals who need us. These beagles deserve this second chance and were very glad to be able to open our doors to them, just as we will soon ask our community to do.”nnThe Department of Justice in May filed a lawsuit against Envigo alleging violations of the Animal Welfare Act at the Cumberland, Va., breeding facility. Federal inspections revealed inadequate veterinary care, insufficient food, unsanitary conditions, and in some cases dogs were euthanized without anesthesia.
Inotiv Inc., Envigos parent company, announced in June it would close the breeding facility.
The transfer plan proposed by the DOJ was approved by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, giving the Humane Society of the United States sole responsibility for rescuing some 4,000 beagles over the course of 60 days.
Since then, the beagles have been transferred in batches. In addition to bringing some of the beagles to its own care and rehabilitation center, the Humane Society is partnering with numerous animal welfare organizations to rehabilitate and adopt out the pups.
