They stayed inside their carriers, unfamiliar with the light, the breeze and the sound of birds overhead. Contained for their safety, the three beagles who arrived at Transfer Beach Park on June 6 were beginning a life very different from anything they香蕉视频直播檇 ever known.
Driven across the country by The Beagle Alliance香蕉视频直播檚 executive director Lori Cohen and volunteer Brenda Greschuk, the dogs were greeted in Ladysmith by Chemainus resident Bea Nicholson 香蕉视频直播� who manages the charity香蕉视频直播檚 website and IT support 香蕉视频直播� and by the Vancouver Island foster families waiting to take them home.
The meet-up marked the final stop in a cross-border rescue mission that brought 15 former lab beagles to safety through The Beagle Alliance, a Winnipeg-based charity that advocates for the rehoming of animals used in scientific testing.
香蕉视频直播淚n Canada, over 16,000 dogs are used in research. Most people don't know that over 3 million animals are used in research each year,香蕉视频直播� said Cohen. 香蕉视频直播淐anada has one of the worst animal protection laws in the world.香蕉视频直播�
According to data from the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), over 3.5 million animals 香蕉视频直播� including mice, fish, cows, birds, reptiles, cats, dogs, and primates 香蕉视频直播� are used annually in research, teaching, and testing. In 2022, 10,417 dogs were reported as part of these experiments. But those figures only reflect institutions voluntarily reporting under CCAC guidelines. Many private laboratories are not required to disclose their numbers, meaning the actual figures may be significantly higher.
While some U.S. jurisdictions have laws requiring laboratories to release animals after testing, no such legislation exists in Canada. Most research animals here are euthanized, with little to no public transparency. Cohen said her organization was only recently able to secure the release of two dogs from a Canadian facility 香蕉视频直播� a first after years of effort.
香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 no law that protects any of these animals,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淭he laboratories will say that they can't go on to live normal lives.香蕉视频直播�
Cohen and her team are proving them wrong. To date, The Beagle Alliance has rehomed more than 90 former lab beagles.
Beagles, in particular, are frequently used in labs due to their small size and docile nature. They are the most widely used dog breed in research worldwide. Their trusting, people-oriented personalities are precisely what make them easy to exploit in laboratory settings. The trauma they experience, along with some of their more challenging canine qualities, can complicate rehabilitation. Those same traits, however, also make them wonderful pets once they begin to heal.
香蕉视频直播淭hey're tricksters, they're escape artists. They're scent hounds, they're food oriented. They climb on things like cats. They will challenge,香蕉视频直播� said Cohen with a laugh. 香蕉视频直播淚f you think you're smart, get a beagle 香蕉视频直播� you'll be humbled in a day.香蕉视频直播�
The Beagle Alliance screens and educates all foster and adoptive families about the unique needs of the breed and the added complexities of life after the lab. The organization is entirely foster-based and relies on volunteers like the small group gathered in Ladysmith that afternoon.
香蕉视频直播淲e don't know anything about the dogs till the 11th hour, and the fosters take them into their homes, sight unseen,香蕉视频直播� said Cohen. 香蕉视频直播淲e could not save them without the fosters and adopters.香蕉视频直播�
The 15 dogs in this rescue came from an unnamed U.S. laboratory, transferred first to Kindness Ranch Sanctuary in Wyoming, then driven across several states and provinces before arriving in Alberta and B.C. The identities of the labs and the nature of the experiments are never disclosed.
香蕉视频直播淚 can't tell you where they came from because it's a very secretive world,香蕉视频直播� Cohen said. 香蕉视频直播淥ur rescue partner signs a nondisclosure, so we are not told what laboratory they come from and we are never told what is done to them in the laboratory.香蕉视频直播�
The Beagle Alliance works closely with U.S. organizations because Canadian facilities are not required to release animals after testing and often refuse to engage with rescue groups. Canada香蕉视频直播檚 most advanced animal-free research centre 香蕉视频直播� the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods香蕉视频直播攕hut down last year due to lack of funding.
香蕉视频直播淐anada is a first world country that does not fund animal-free science,香蕉视频直播� said Cohen. 香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 computer modeling that can be used that is less expensive and more effective than the animal use model, which does not translate very well to cures and treatments for disease.香蕉视频直播�
That message is at the heart of the cross-country tour 香蕉视频直播� not just placing rescued dogs in homes, but raising awareness and calling for an end to animal testing in Canada when more effective, humane alternatives already exist.
The charity recently secured a sponsorship from WestJet, enabling them to fly dogs across the country to approved fosters 香蕉视频直播� expanding their reach far beyond the highway and into homes from coast to coast.
Over 95 per cent of foster families end up adopting their foster dogs. The organization provides 24/7 support, covers veterinary care and spay/neuter costs, and has partnered with a trainer who specializes in dogs with anxiety and PTSD.
The cost to rescue each dog averages $1,500, while the adoption fee is $675.
香蕉视频直播淣obody's dropping dogs on my doorstep,香蕉视频直播� Cohen said. 香蕉视频直播淲e're actively having to go out and get them, and that's a costly venture.香蕉视频直播�
Funding comes from family foundations, monthly donors, and individual supporters but donations are always needed 香蕉视频直播� not just to cover the cost of care, but to help shift a national conversation.
The organization香蕉视频直播檚 website,, includes information about upcoming rescues, foster and adoption applications, educational resources on animal testing, and ways the public can support the cause.
The ultimate goal, Cohen said, is not just to save individual animals, but to build a future where rescues like this are no longer necessary. As their motto says, The Beagle Alliance is committed to helping animals used in research go from lab to love.
