Gracie, a 4-year-old Beagle rescued from the Envigo breeding farm, was trembling and shedding fistfuls of hair when Annette Marchioli initially took her home.
On seeing Gracie for the first time, Marchioli remarked, “She looked so pitiful and puny. Tommy DeSanto from the Richmond SPCA was carrying her in his arms. She was so tiny and timid. Her tail would not come out from between her legs.”
But with the aid of her new beagle brother Rocky and in only a few short days at her new family’s residence in Henrico County’s Lakeside neighborhood, Gracie has developed “leaps and bounds,” according to Marchioli.
“I assumed it would take her years to adjust, yet we saw her tail come out from between her legs in just a few days. Her tail is wagging. She’s incredibly warm and loving. She is the best cuddler,” according to Marchioli.
4,000 beagles, including Gracie, were saved from filthy, overcrowded conditions at the Envigo breeding facility in Cumberland County in July.
Envigo dubbed a “house of horrors,” kept thousands of beagles in appalling conditions. Authorities claimed they were confined in filthy circumstances, fed moldy food, and had untreated medical problems in a federal court lawsuit. The canines lived their entire lives in cages, never stepping foot on any greenery. Some beagles were euthanized, while others were abandoned.
Envigo, however, consented in an “unprecedented case” to release 4,000 beagles from the facility and cease operations. The Humane Society of the United States has been working with shelters and organizations across the country to place dogs and puppies for adoption. The U.S. government moved quickly to transfer the dogs to them.
Envigo beagles have arrived in the Richmond region at many organizations, including the Richmond SPCA, Richmond Animal Care, and Control, Powhatan County Animal Control, the Fredericksburg Regional SPCA, and Green Dogs Unleashed.
To date, 84 beagles have been brought to Richmond Animal Care and Control, and as of the end of August, there are still 41 canines there. As the puppies wait until they are old enough to be put up for adoption, which is usually around eight weeks, moms and puppies are currently in foster care.
“A lot of the puppies we received in July were just a day old,” according to Robin Young, a RACC spokesman. The puppies should be weaned, immunized, and scheduled for spaying or neutering once they reach the age of eight weeks, according to Young.
When the canines are available for adoption, RACC stated the shelter would post pictures and information about how to apply to social media.
One of the first Virginia shelters to receive around 500 beagles from the Envigo facility was Homeward Trails, a rescue with headquarters in Alexandria.
“The first night after we announced we’d have some of the beagles, I woke up to over 1,000 emails. And that continued every day for three weeks. I was getting emails from people as far away as Australia and Puerto Rico wanting to adopt these dogs,” said Sue Bell, executive director for the shelter.
Bell claimed that mature beagles are frequently hesitant and shy at first, but they quickly adjust, much as Annette Marchioli and her husband Ron Stilwell with Gracie.
“The most rewarding thing is to watch them put their feet on grass for the first time — watching their little brains start to process, put their noses to the ground and run. They were running and leaping like deer. They had never done it before,” Bell said.
The canines received their first baths and a “spa day” from Homeward Trails. After that, they invited volunteers to watch “Homeward Bound” with them while they cuddled up to the beagles on their brand-new beds during a Netflix night.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and it was one of the best nights of my life,” Bell remarked.
She estimates that the cost of getting each beagle ready for adoption at the shelter from Envigo was $1,000. These fees cover the price of shots, spaying and neutering, heartworm medication, medical care, and dental care.
“The dogs came to us with horrific teeth. Every dog required dental cleaning or extraction, which runs $300 to $800,” according to Bell. Since then, adoption ads have been posted for each of those beagles.
Some older beagles struggle with housebreaking, walking on a leash, or climbing stairs. Shelters, however, advise first-time homebuyers to exercise patience.
“We still have some issues with Gracie. She seems to be really worried about food: getting it and protecting it,” according to Marchioli. “She still has accidents in the house, but we’ve only had her for two weeks. The positives so outweigh anything else.”
Christi Hast and her husband, Justin, expanded their “pack” of three rescue beagles and hound dogs by adopting a 3-year-old beagle called Dita from the Richmond SPCA.
“She’s an amazing dog, very happy and fun, so easygoing, really sweet and snuggly. She’s super confident, not shy at all,” observed Christi Hast. Dita has a green, six-letter serial number tattooed inside of one of her ears, just like many of the adult canines from Envigo.
“I know a lot of people want the puppies, but I think it’s important not to forget the mama dogs. They’re wonderful, sweet pets,” Christi Hast said.
She and her husband have a large home in Gum Spring, Goochland County, where the dogs have plenty of space to run around and play. She remarked, “I think having the other dogs around has helped her blossom”.
“This is truly an unprecedented case and one of the largest dog rescue efforts ever coordinated,” Bell said. “To know that these dogs will get to have the lives they deserve and not languish in cages for the rest of their lives is just so rewarding.”
The fact that more people are becoming aware of beagles’ employment in medical research is another plus. According to the Los Angeles Times, Envigo is the second-largest breeder of beagles used in medical and pharmaceutical research in the United States, producing around 25% of the breed.
“I’ve had so many people tell me they didn’t know that beagles were used for medical research,” Bell said. “We’re hoping to harness this momentum and educate the public.”
Although there is still a lot of demand for the Envigo beagles, Richmond shelters and rescue dog owners like Hast encourage prospective pet owners to think about adopting one of the thousands of dogs that are already available there.
“Many thousands more dogs find themselves homeless for any other number of unrelated reasons but are nevertheless in need of good homes,” said Tamsen Kingry, CEO of the Richmond SPCA. “Visiting a shelter or rescue in search of your next pet is always the best decision you can make.”
