The Beagle Freedom Project places animals used in lab testing in loving rehabilitative homes.

My husband and I have loved and owned beagles for years, but I must admit we had not heard about the Beagle Freedom Project until a little over eighteen months ago.

Our adventure began when we viewed a short story on the evening news about forty beagles that were being rescued and flown into LAX from a medical testing laboratory in Spain by a group called The Beagle Freedom Project. My interest was sparked and I began a mission to adopt one of these amazing dogs. My sister sent me a website showing one of the organizations’ first rescues: heart-breaking footage of these beagles’ first steps outside their cages.

During the following days, I learned a great deal about the nonprofit Beagle Freedom Project, formed in 2010 by animal activist lawyer Shannon Keith. To date, they have been responsible for eleven rescues and the beagles from Spain were rescue number four. They are also involved in creating legislation to stop animal testing all together.

While I knew about the existence of animal testing, like many others, I seemed quite comfortable with my blinders on. The Beagle Freedom Project opened my eyes to the horrible, unnecessary cruelties that are going on all for the sake of our comfort, beauty, and cleanliness.

A few weeks after I began contacting the Beagle Freedom Project, I finally received the call that would change our lives. One of the beagles had been returned to Shannon; we were on our way to LA!  We met Bagel (soon to be Chief) and instantly fell in love.  While we were watching his emotionless face, frail body, and tail that did nothing but curl between his legs, Shannon relayed the tale of the rescue. It was one of the most amazing stories of selflessness, commitment, and love I had ever heard.

After a year of watching Chief morph from a scared, unsure “lab rat” into a confident dog overflowing with personality, we joined the other 40 beagles at the “Spanish 40” one-year reunion. We were lucky enough to adopt another one from this group that needed a new home. The adopters, fosters, and all those involved with the Beagle Freedom Project have become a part of our family.

Bringing puppies home is always fun and exciting, but not nearly as fun and exciting as bringing an older lab rescue home that has been through God only knows what and seeing what he or she will turn into with your love and support along the way.

The Open Cages Celebration Gala Fundraiser at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will raise funds to support The Beagle Freedom Project on September 8, 2013 from 5 to 10 PM. Join the community of human supporters for dinner, a silent auction, live entertainment and more. beaglefreedomproject.org

Kris Wood is a fourth and fifth grade teacher at a rural Southern California elementary school who is working on a memoir about Chief and their adventures during his first year of life outside a laboratory.

Kris Wood

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