'The Brewster bunch': Rescued beagle babies arrive on Cape, draw hundreds of adoption inquiries

BREWSTER — At first, the youngsters hesitated, standing at the edge of an expanse of soft, green grass dappled with intertwining splashes of sunlight and shade.

What, exactly, does one do with such freedom?

It didn't take them long to find the answer. Tilting their faces into the air, they were soon scampering in the yard, as if following a whispered voice on the breeze inviting them to come play. The youngsters somersaulted, rolled over one another, tripped on their own feet, tumbled over their own ears.

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Standing nearby in an enclosure at the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Boston's animal care and adoption center on Brewster's Main Street on Aug. 30, Michael DeFina smiled as he watched the group of beagle puppies at play.

"They've spent their lives up to this point confined," the ARL communications and media relations officer said, bending to rub one of the puppies vigorously behind its ears as it came bounding over to him, tongue lolling and tail wagging. "I think this is the first time they've seen grass."

The beagle babies — 25 of them between 14 weeks and 7 months old — arrived at the Brewster shelter on Aug. 25. They are among the nearly 4,000 beagles being removed by the Humane Society of the United States from the Envigo RMS LLC’s mass breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia as the result of a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice in May, alleging Animal Welfare Act violations at the facility.

Begun a month ago, the rescue operation from Envigo — which bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation — has been making national headlines.

The national humane agency is working to transfer the puppies to various rescue organizations around the country for evaluation and adoption. A team from ARL took a van down to Virginia to pick up the Brewster bunch, DeFina said.

"We received as many as would fit in the van," he said.

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Puppy love at first sight

Among the first to be transferred, the group now in the ARL's care in Brewster has already claimed hundreds of hearts. Even before he got a chance to put out a formal announcement about the puppies, DeFina said word got out and the adoption center began receiving inquiries immediately.

"We've received hundreds of applications," he said.

A special adoption process is under way to find the puppies forever homes. At this time, the volume of applications at the ARL has reached their cap and no new applications are being taken, though other organizations in the state have also taken in a number of the Envigo puppies — among them is the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which has transported at least four dozen of the puppies to the state so far.

Before any adoptions take place from Brewster and the ARL's facilities in Dedham and and Boston, the puppies will need time to heal, DeFina said.

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Following a 48-hour, state-mandated quarantine period, the puppies have been getting veterinary check-ups before getting a chance to roam outside at the Brewster animal care center. Next up will be behavioral assessments.

Sadie Santos, supervisor of animal care at the Brewster shelter, said on first impression the puppies seem friendly, sweet and eager for loving, though some of them are shy and a bit skittish. Stepping into the shelter's yard on Aug. 30, she was immediately surrounded by four pups, hopping on their hind legs for a chance to be held in her arms, or in hopes of perhaps finding special treats hidden in her hands — she and three other staff members are in charge of feeding the youngsters, so they know who has the goods.

"They're all figuring out how to be dogs right now," she said, lifting one of the puppies for a bear hug, smiling as the energetic youngster began giving her puppy kisses.

The first 48 hours were the most difficult, as the staff could not interact with the puppies. But as soon as they were released to begin their new lives, she said, "you start to see their personality."

Learning to be puppies

DeFina said the puppies let into the yard were uncertain at first, but once they started to explore the grass, "they were excited just to be in a large area."

"They're running around, chasing each other," he said. "Just being puppies."

As he spoke, a light breeze teased some of the first-fallen leaves on the grass, capturing one of the youngsters' attention. The pup nosed a leaf, poked at it with a paw and gathered it up between his teeth before two of his companions scampered over to investigate as well. A brief and friendly competition for control of the leaf ensued.

"They've really taken to the outdoors," DeFina said, smiling as he watched.

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Until now, the pups have lived only as numbers, not unique individuals, he said. Crouching, he gave one of the little dogs a scratch between the shoulder blades before lifting one of its floppy, velvety ears to show a blue tattoo on the tender underside, just visible under a layer of pale, peach fuzz-like fur — an ID number.

To the ARL caretakers, this puppy is no longer just a number. He is the adorably sweet, eager-for-love Lionel, who is curious, tends to trip over his own paws, wags his tail briskly when hugged and loves giving super wet kisses.

"We named them all after '80s music people," DeFina said. "There's Bon Jovi, Madonna, Bono ... names like that."

While he doesn't know many details, it is his understanding, he said, "that the conditions they were living in were very poor."

According to the ARL, repeated federal inspections at Envigo "resulted in dozens of violations, including findings that some dogs had been 'euthanized' without first receiving anesthesia; that dogs had received inadequate veterinary care and insufficient food; and that they were living in unsanitary conditions."

But that is all in the past for the puppies now. DeFina said it has been amazing to see "the dozens and dozens of facilities around the country" working with the U.S. humane society to take the beagles in and find them loving families.

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"For us as an organization, this is a rescue effort of historic proportions," he said.

“The Animal Rescue League of Boston is honored to be a part of such a massive rescue effort,” said ARL President and CEO Edward Schettino in a release. “ARL commends HSUS for its effort and commitment to these resilient animals, as well as our animal welfare partners around the country who have made special accommodations to ensure that these dogs are cared for and find the homes they so richly deserve.”

"It takes a massive network of compassionate, expert shelters and rescues to make an operation of this scale possible." Lindsay Hamrick, shelter outreach and engagement director for the Humane Society of the United States, said. "We are deeply grateful to each organization that is stepping up to find these dogs the loving homes they so deserve.”

Special animals in need of homes

DeFina said the beagle puppies in ARL's care will be adopted through a special process, with those applications that have already been received reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. All applications will receive a response, whether or not they are accepted.

ARL asks adopters who got in applications before the cap was reached to have patience while the puppies are settling into their new way of life, and not to call or email ARL’s animal care and adoption centers.

Although applications are no longer being accepted by the ARL for this set of beagle arrivals, DeFina said the organization has plenty of equally special animals awaiting loving homes, and he is hopeful people will consider them, too.

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"If you're unable to adopt one of the beagles, you can always see who else we have," he said. "There's no shortage of animals who need a home. You can still look and still find your perfect pet."

The ARL accepts new animals from overcrowded shelters in the south on a monthly basis, he pointed out.

The Humane Society of the United States is maintaining a list of partners accepting Envigo beagles into their adoption program, which can be found at https://www.humanesociety.org/4000beagles/beagle-partners. Other Massachusetts organizations with the rescued beagles, in addition to other animals needing homes, include: Baypath Humane Society, Dakin Humane Society, Northeast Animal Shelter, Northeast Coonhound Rescue, and Second Chance Animal Services.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Puppy love: Beagles from Virginia breeding center arrive in Brewster