VA Beagles Bred For Research Get Spa Day, Head To New Homes

ARLINGTON, VA — Since July, dozens of beagles, both adults and puppies, have made their way to Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, one of the groups working to find new homes for the 4,000 beagles held at a breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia, owned and operated by the company Envigo.

Over the past month, Homeward Trails has taken in 25 adult beagles and 25 puppies at its Northern Virginia shelter from the Cumberland facility. The rescue group has found homes for all the beagle puppies and is making good progress on finding homes for the adult beagles, according to Sue Bell, executive director of Homeward Trails.

“We have a tremendous family of fosters, and we have gotten tremendous response from the public by those wanting to adopt and foster,” Bell said.

The Cumberland facility served as a breading factory for beagles and provided them to companies who conducted medical and other types of traumatizing research. A 2021 PETA undercover investigation found thousands of beagle dogs and puppies confined to small, barren kennels and cages at the Cumberland breeding facility.

As a result of the investigation, Homeward Trails, together with the Humane Society of the United States and other groups, worked on plans to remove all the approximately 4,000 remaining beagles housed at Envigo’s facility.

On July 22, a federal judge permanently barred Envigo from “any activity requiring [a federal Animal Welfare Act] license” at the company’s Cumberland beagle-breeding factory and laboratory, including breeding and raising dogs for sale and experimenting on animals.

"The dogs in this facility were kept in filthy prison-like conditions and were hungry, sick, mistreated, and in some cases, dead. Those who were able-bodied were headed for testing labs and they didn’t know how to play," the Humane Society said. "But after this large rescue operation, ALL of these beagles are set to be released to loving owners for new lives of grassy yards, couches, and walks!"

Homeward Trails has been working to find homes for the Envigo beagles since January, and took in almost 50 dogs from February to April. Since it began working to save the beagles, Homeward Trails has taken in more than 500 dogs, kept almost 100 at Homeward Trails to date and transferred the others dogs to partner groups in Wyoming and California, Bell said.

The rescue group is in need of donations to help the beagles it saved from the Cumberland facility — as well as its other rescue animals. It will cost an average of $265 per dog to get them fully vetted and ready for adoption.

"They deserve to live lives as family members and we are desperate to make that happen as soon as possible," Homeward Trails says.

The rescue group is also looking for people who will foster a pregnant beagle mom, a mom with nursing puppies, and an adult beagle. Email sueb@homewardtrails.org with I CAN FOSTER A BEAGLE in the subject line if you are able to foster one of the dogs.

Visit Homeward Trails' fundraising page to donate money to Homeward Trails, so the group can help the beagles rescued from the Envigo facility in Cumberland.