Looking for a home: Beagles rescued from Virginia breeding facility arrive at NH SPCA

STRATHAM — The New Hampshire SPCA is opening its doors to seven beagles recently removed from a mass-breeding facility in Virginia riddled with animal welfare concerns.

A federal judge in July approved a plan that called for all 4,000 beagles housed at Envigo RMS facility in Cumberland, Virginia, to be transferred to shelters nationwide for adoption.

The order came after the company that breeds beagles for medical research was accused by federal officials of a series of animal welfare violations, including that they were underfed and living in filthy conditions.

The New Hampshire SPCA is looking for forever homes for seven beagles recently removed from a mass-breading facility in Virginia.
The New Hampshire SPCA is looking for forever homes for seven beagles recently removed from a mass-breading facility in Virginia.

Lisa Dennison, executive director of the New Hampshire SPCA, said the transfer of the dogs from the facility is being coordinated by the Humane Society of the United States and is taking place in stages over the next 60 days.

“We are honored to help the Humane Society of the United States in this overwhelming endeavor to find homes for 4,000 beagles,” said Dennison. “As a proud Emergency Placement Partner of HSUS, we have been called upon in the past to help with other large cases, but this is mammoth. These dogs have never had a home but they are so affectionate and adorable."

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The transfer plan comes as a result of a civil enforcement lawsuit filed against Envigo by the Department of Justice in May, alleging Animal Welfare Act violations at the facility.

Repeated federal inspections have 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 with buildups of feces, urine, and other waste.

An inspection report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that, between January and July of last year, over 300 puppy deaths were attributed to "unknown causes" and the facility never took steps to investigate their deaths.

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Envigo announced in June that it was planning to close. According to court documents, Envigo agreed to the transfer of the dogs and will cover a monetary fee for each dog to help defray the costs to the shelters of preparing the beagles for adoption.

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

The New Hampshire SPCA is looking for forever homes for seven beagles recently removed from a mass-breading facility in Virginia.
The New Hampshire SPCA is looking for forever homes for seven beagles recently removed from a mass-breading facility in Virginia.

Beagles looking for a forever home

The seven beagles arrived at the Stratham shelter Tuesday night.

Dennison said the dogs are in good shape and "are super sweet and very wiggly!" They range in age but are all under a year old.

Lisa Dennison, executive director of the New Hampshire SPCA, said the dogs are in good shape and "are super sweet and very wiggly!"
Lisa Dennison, executive director of the New Hampshire SPCA, said the dogs are in good shape and "are super sweet and very wiggly!"

Dennison said they will be available for adoption after completing their legally required quarantine period.  Potential adopters should check NH SPCA website for details about the dogs as they become available. Adopters, she said, are always encouraged to complete an adoption application in advance to help the process go more quickly.

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"We are so grateful to help find the loving homes they so deeply deserve," Dennison said.  "We hope that we can continue to help in placing more of the dogs from this case in the near future.”

Lisa Dennison, executive director of the New Hampshire SPCA, said the dogs are in good shape and "are super sweet and very wiggly!"
Lisa Dennison, executive director of the New Hampshire SPCA, said the dogs are in good shape and "are super sweet and very wiggly!"

The NH SPCA is open Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and every other day of the week by appointment.  You may contact info@nhspca.org to schedule an appointment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Beagles rescued from Virginia breeding facility arrive at New Hampshire SPCA