-
The Nassau Humane Society has taken in and homed 10 beagles as part of an effort to home nearly 4,000 beagles rescued from a facility in Virginia.
The Nassau Humane Society has taken in 10 beagles from the Envigo RMS LLC dog breeding facility in Cumberland, Va. All 10 were pre-adopted within the first hour of being available.
Just in time for National Dog Day, Nassau County dog lovers came together to find homes for these animals.
“It was awesome,” Nassau Humane Society Executive Director Stephanie Miller said.
Miller also said the Society “definitely will” take in more of the Envigo beagles, should the Humane Society of the United States have the need again.
The 10 dogs are part of the almost 3,000 dogs removed from Envigo thus far. The Humane Society of the United States is overseeing the placement of the beagles. According to the Humane Society of the United States, more than 75 shelters and rescues (including the Nassau Humane Society) have accepted the responsibility of finding homes for the beagles.
The dogs all passed health inspections at veterinary facilities before coming to the Nassau Humane Society. The society reports all dogs are up-to-date on their vaccines, but each dog will still go through an intake exam before being put up for adoption.
“(The dogs) will require patience and lots of love and slow introductions,” the Nassau Humane Society said. “They are all very sweet and gentle, but they’ve never seen a leash before and have never been potty trained.”
Earlier this summer, roughly 4,000 beagles were rescued from the Envigo facility, which was breeding the dogs specifically to sell to laboratories for animal testing. Federal inspections conducted at the facility found dozens of violations. One beagle’s paw had been stuck in the floor for so long that she couldn’t get to her water and was dehydrated. At another inspection, it was found that nine beagles had been put down instead of being treated with the proper veterinary care.
“Nassau Humane Society is looking for patient adopters who are willing to work with these dogs,” the society said in its original posting about the beagles. These dogs will require extra care and patience after coming from poor environments.
After going through the intake exam, the dogs became available for viewing Friday. They went home with their new families Tuesday.
For more information on how to foster or adopt another animal needing a home, contact the Nassau Humane Society or visit the shelter during animal showing hours.
“We still have a lot of wonderful rescue dogs who have been in our kennels, some for months, who are also looking for homes,” Miller said in a press release. “They’re all fixed and ready to go, including some hound mixes.”
hdorman@fbnewsleader.com
