TAMPA, Fla. — The Humane Society of Tampa Bay has opened its doors to 15 beagles rescued from a mass-breeding facility out of Virginia.
And that's not all of the dogs being saved from that location. The Humane Society of the United States is coordinating the removal of approximately 4,000 beagles.
All the furry animals were housed at an Envigo RMS LLC facility in Cumberland which bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation.
Over the next 60 days, all dogs will be transferred to different places and be up for adoption through the Humane Society and other shelters/rescues.
Anyone interested in adopting one of the beagles can check the humane society's website to see when the dogs are available. Officials say some may be available for adoption as early as next week.
“These dogs have been through so much and we are grateful to the Department of Justice and HSUS for facilitating their rescue,” HSTB Director of Shelter Operations Danyelle Ho said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome them to Tampa Bay, give them the care and time needed to heal, then find them loving homes.”
The society is open daily from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and adoptions are on a first-come, first-served basis.
The transfer plan comes as a result of a lawsuit filed against Envigo by the Department of Justice in May.
“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 in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to each organization that is stepping up to find these dogs the loving homes they so deserve.”