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Rescued Beagles Getting A New Leash On Life

 
VALLEY VILLAGE (CBS)— A group of beagles locked up in a laboratory since birth have been rescued by a Los Angeles animal rescue group and placed in loving homes.

The Beagle Freedom Project were tipped off that nine beagles were being used for testing cosmetic, household and pharmaceuitical products. The dogs had been bred for lab research and spent years in cages.

Rescuers contacted the lab, who said they were reportedly done with their testing and released the animals to Freedom Project.

"They don't even have a name, just a tattoo in their ears," said Shannon Keith, who runs the Beagle Freedom Project. "They had never even been on a walk."

You would expect the dogs to give a whimper or a bark of joy at their first contact with grass but the beagles were de-barked so they wouldn't disturb researchers at the lab. Instead, the dogs cower.

Today, the beagles are in loving homes, where they have names instead of tattoos.

The Freedom Project just rescued another batch of beagles from a lab in Northern California.

It's a sad story that Keith wishes she didn't have to tell ever again.

To find out more about the Beagle Freedom Project or how you can help visit their Web site.

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