Over 100 Beagles Rescued From 'Heinous' Conditions at Breeding Facility

More than 100 beagles have been given a new lease on life after being rescued from a company that breeds dogs for scientific research.

Harrowing details out of Virginia-based Envigo were exposed in a court document, which revealed deplorable conditions.

The order signed in May by Judge Norman K. Moon, in the case against The United State of America v Envigo RMS, stated the facility raises thousands of beagles at any given time, but "serious and ongoing violations of Animal Welfare Act (AWA)" were found.

Highlighted were the deaths from "unknown causes" of more than 300 puppies from January to July, while more than 150 beagle puppies and 16 adults were found dead "and medical records indicated their corpses had already begun to decompose."

Nursing mothers—and therefore their puppies—weren't provided with adequate food, with one described as "emaciated."

It was noted that "the food that the beagles did receive was observed to contain live insects, worms, maggots, beetles, flies, ants, mold and feces."

Many beagles were riddled with medical problems at the "overcrowded" and "understaffed" facility, with some dogs displaying "fight wounds," and three dying from their injuries between January and July last year.

In October, "a female beagle was found dead with evidence that her littermates had chewed on her; the mortality log attributed her death to evisceration."

Another "grizzly" detail quoted by the court was from a necropsy report, detailing in one instance a "pup" that was eaten and "only has a head left."

The document went on to say: "Beagles with even minor injuries or easily treated medical conditions were euthanized rather than given veterinary care."

What was described as "the most heinous" discovery at the site was during a November 2021 inspection, which uncovered that "Envigo had allowed staff to euthanize dogs without anesthesia."

Amid the backdrop of horror, some 108 beagles of the 4,000 total were welcomed Wednesday by the San Diego Humane Society (SDHS), flown in on a Greater Goods Charities plane to the society's El Cajon Campus.

They described the intake as a "major operation," stating shelters "across the country" were stepping up to care for the dogs, as the SDHS had foster volunteers ready to immediately take in 50 of the dogs.

SDHS President and CEO Dr. Gary Weitzman, said: "For our staff and volunteers, this day could not come soon enough.

"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 we're very glad to be able to open our doors to them, just as we will soon ask our community to do."

Video of the dogs show the beagles in good spirits, as staff confirmed they were currently being microchipped, given veterinary care and will eventually be spayed and neutered.

One tweet on the society's page said: "It's remarkable to see them play and simply enjoy themselves in the sun after the tragic conditions they came from."

Another raved: "After only knowing life inside small cages and the deplorable conditions of the breeding facility, the #108Beagles are getting the chance to just be dogs! They're playing and seeing grass and sun for the first time before heading off to foster homes and with our rescue partners."

This is the second Greater Good Charities flight chartered to rescue the beagles, with 146 taken to Portland on August 20.

Envigo's website says: "At Envigo, animal welfare is a top priority. We adopt a humane and compassionate approach, actively fostering a culture of care toward our animals and aiming to operate at the highest professional standards...

"We have a company-wide animal welfare policy that defines and drives the standards for our animal care and welfare throughout Envigo."

In July, Envigo agreed to a "permanent prohibition" on any activities at its Cumberland facility that requires an AWA license.

A release from the Department of Justice confirmed Envigo has "agreed to relinquish all remaining beagles at the Cumberland facility to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)," who is leading the "enormous effort" to remove and rehome all 4,000 dogs over the course of 60 days.

Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim, of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), said: "This settlement brings to an end the needless suffering caused by Envigo's blatant violations of animal welfare laws at this facility."

A press release from Inotiv in July, which acquired Envigo last year, stressed the mutually-agreed settlement "is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by Envigo with regard to its past operation of the Cumberland Facility."

CEO Robert Leasure, Jr., said: "Our top priority continues to be ensuring proper animal welfare and regulatory compliant practices at all of our facilities."

A previous release from June quoted Leasure saying: "Since the Envigo acquisition in November 2021, the Cumberland, Virginia, facility was recognized as needing improvements and investments."