Maine

The beagles have landed: 100 rescued dogs headed to new homes in Maine

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Ric Browde, President and CEO of Wings of Rescue, fingers a beagle to Karen Robinson of the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk on the Portland Worldwide Jetport on Sunday. Gregory Rec/Employees Photographer

A Wings of Rescue aircraft touched down on the Portland Jetport on Sunday, delivering 100 beagles to organizations that may discover them new properties in Maine.

The canine are the final of the almost 4,000 beagles rescued from a Virginia facility that supposed to promote them to animal testing labs. Utilizing canine for laboratory testing is authorized, however federal investigators discovered the beagles have been uncared for, mistreated and lived in horrific circumstances, in line with the Humane Society of america.

One after the other, every crated beagle was offloaded onto a conveyor belt and positioned in rows on the tarmac by employees from animal shelters and volunteers.

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A number of of them cried and howled. As of Sunday, most didn’t have names.



The canine have been then carried to 14 vans to be transported to shelters all through Maine.

“We’re actually honored to play part of these beagles’ last locations to our state to seek out great properties right here,” stated Jeana Roth of the Animal Refuge League of Better Portland in Westbrook. Welcoming the beagles is likely one of the largest rescue efforts by the shelter, she stated.

Of the 100 beagles, 25 went to the Westbrook shelter, together with Fin, who had been on the Virginia facility the longest “and was the final beagle to go away the ability,” Roth stated. He spent his life in a kennel, used for breeding.

The remaining 75 went to 9 shelters all through Maine, from Kennebunk to Lewiston to Camden. The canine vary in age from puppies to about 5 years previous, which is believed to be Fin’s age.

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Marc Gup, a volunteer with the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook, greets two beagles being unloaded from a Wings of Rescue aircraft on the Portland Worldwide Jetport on Sunday. 100 beagles have been delivered to Portland, a part of the 4,000 beagles rescued from a breeding facility in Virginia the place the USDA discovered abusive circumstances. Quite a few animal shelters from all through the state picked up the beagles, together with 25 by the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook. The canine must quarantine for 2 weeks earlier than they are often adopted. Gregory Rec/Employees Photographer

The canine will bear a two-week quarantine the place their well being and conduct wants will probably be assessed. The beagles on the Westbrook shelter “all have foster properties lined up,” Roth stated, as do a lot of the canine positioned with different Maine shelters.

Through the flight to Maine, the beagles did nicely, stated Ric Browde, CEO and president of Wings of Rescue, a nonprofit that transports rescued animals.

“They have been surprisingly quiet,” he stated, including that normally howling beagles go to the again of the aircraft. “These have been essentially the most pleasantly behaved. Whoever is fortunate to undertake these pets wins the lottery.”

Whereas utilizing canine for lab testing is authorized within the U.S., it shouldn’t be, stated Katie Hansberry, Maine state director for the Humane Society of america.

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Ric Browde, President and CEO of Wings of Rescue, unloads a beagle in a crate on the Portland Worldwide Jetport on Sunday. Gregory Rec/Employees Photographer

The canine have been bred in a mass-breeding facility owned and operated by Envigo RMS. On this case, the U.S. Division of Justice filed a lawsuit towards Envigo for quite a few violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Violations included nursing beagles being denied meals and canine being fed meals that was contaminated with mould, maggots and feces, Hansberry stated.

“Over the interval of eight weeks, 25 puppies died due to publicity to the chilly,” she stated.

Additionally, due to overcrowding circumstances on the facility, quite a few beagles have been injured in canine fights, and Envigo was not offering medical remedy to canine with very treatable circumstances, Hansberry stated.

“Fairly they have been simply selecting to euthanize them,” she stated.

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A beagle waits to be transferred to a van after being unloaded from a Wings of Rescue aircraft on the Portland Worldwide Jetport on Sunday. Gregory Rec/Employees Photographer

Earlier this summer season, a U.S. district courtroom decide issued a restraining order imposing a sequence of restrictions on the ability and firm officers have introduced plans to shut it.

Speaking to reporters on the Jetport, Hansberry stated she hopes her large smile conveys her pleasure of welcoming the beagles to Maine the place they’ll go to loving properties.

“I’ve chills and goosebumps excited about bringing these beagles residence,” she stated.

They’d a horrible life on the Virginia facility, however these beagles “are the fortunate ones,” Hansberry stated. “They’re ambassadors for the almost 60,000 canine, similar to them, utilized in laboratories for medical testing throughout the nation. We’re hoping this may elevate consciousness about that, and eventually at some point see a future when no canine are being examined in laboratories.”

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Ashley Wright of Wings of Rescue holds a beagle on the Portland Worldwide Jetport on Sunday. Gregory Rec/Employees Photographer

Along with the Animal Refuge League of Better Portland, the shelters that rescued beagles are the Better Androscoggin Humane Society in Lewiston, the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk, the Franklin County Humane Society in Farmington, Kennebec Valley Humane Society in Augusta, the PAWS Animal Adoption Heart in Camden, the Pope Memorial Humane Society in Thomaston, Accountable Pet Care of Oxford Hills in South Paris and Tall Tails Beagle Rescue in Mechanic Falls.

A number of beagles will probably be positioned for adoption. People who find themselves occupied with adopting a beagle ought to preserve a detailed eye on the web sites of the shelter close to them, Roth really useful.

She predicts all will probably be snapped up, saying curiosity is excessive.

“It is a particular state. Mainers love their animals,” Roth stated. “They love their canine and are handled like household. We could have no points discovering these beagles great properties the place they’re cherished and have the life they deserve.”

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The Related Press contributed to this story


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