By Elizabeth Wulfhorst
EATONTOWN – When federal authorities got court approval to shut down the Envigo breeding and research facility in Cumberland, Virginia, in July, it was all hands on deck to find homes for the more than 4,000 beagles housed there. A federal judge gave the government about two months to accomplish that task.
Last week the Monmouth County SPCA (MCSPCA) played a small part in making sure the dogs, which had never touched grass or seen a toy, find safe, adoptive homes.
Federal authorities had found numerous violations at the Envigo facility over the past two years which left dogs dehydrated, underfed, injured and dead. An inspection in May led to the removal of nearly 150 dogs and the eventual court-ordered rescue of all the beagles.
The MCSPCA partners with the nonprofit Humane Society of the United States, the organization tasked with relocating the thousands of beagles to shelters, rescue groups and foster facilities across the country. It is the only shelter in New Jersey that received beagles from the mass rescue.
Dogs suffering the most were removed first; over the last six weeks groups of dogs from a handful to a few hundred at a time were taken by van and driven or even flown around the United States. The scope of the rescue was so large it drew the attention of some high-profile adopters, including Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who adopted an older breeding female from a rescue group in California, and even the first family of New Jersey, who introduced Morty Murphy to the world in a tweet Aug. 19. The Murphys adopted Morty from Homeward Trails Animal Rescue in Virginia.
The MCSPCA is currently at capacity, said Ross Licitra, the organization’s executive director, but they are always willing to help animals in need, no matter where they come from. Volunteers from the shelter drove to Virginia to pick up the dogs, where members of the U.S. Marshals Service in charge of the Envigo facility took their truck, went inside and came out with five beagles. “We had no pick,” Licitra said. But that didn’t matter as he knew they would be adopted quickly.
“Everyone loves a story,” he explained, noting the MCSPCA got “hundreds” of adoption applications for the six-month-old puppies, even though the organization put a number of qualifications on applicants.
“You have to be in New Jersey. We don’t want them out of the state,” Licitra said and noted they preferred potential candidates already have another dog at home or experience owning a dog.
All applications were put into a lottery and the five lucky families received word they had been chosen earlier this week. They will now begin the process of meeting the dogs and finding the perfect fit.
Somewhat surprisingly, considering the breeding and living conditions at Envigo, the beagles adapted to their new surroundings fairly quickly, which Licitra attributed to a number of factors.
“They weren’t at a testing facility yet; they were being bred to go to a testing facility,” Licitra said, also noting beagles by nature are friendly dogs – “people dogs” – that crave human companionship.
But at the Envigo facility there were “very, very few people to care for all of these animals, so their social interactions with humans weren’t very long,” he explained. “People would just come in, throw them food and go,” unlike at the MCSPCA where the animals are held, petted and “loved,” according to Licitra, who demonstrated by easily snuggling one of the newest additions, Nikolai. The beagles were marked with a letter and number code in the ear at birth, but immediately named by MCSPCA staff upon their arrival in Eatontown. The adoptive families are free to rename them whatever they choose.
While some of the beagles were scared and skittish when they arrived, veterinarians quickly neutered them and checked for any lingering health issues so the socialization could start. “Now they’re getting used to the fact that we’re not all bad people,” Licitra said.
He explained that, in addition to being a fairly small breed, beagles are “very forgiving. You know, they have a very forgiving nature, which makes them really ideal for testing. It’s heartbreaking.”
While only five families will be fortunate enough to adopt a beagle, there are plenty more animals – like Yogi, a well-behaved senior pit bull with a sweet face – ready to be adopted at the MCSPCA, which currently houses about 30 dogs, hundreds of cats and kittens and other small animals like bunnies and guinea pigs; basically a full house. For information on adopting an animal, visit monmouthcountyspca.org.
The article originally appeared in the September 1 – 8, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
