How could a beagle born in Italy wind up inside a U.S. animal testing lab?
Mason, a gentle and resilient beagle boy, was rescued by Beagle Freedom Project from a U.S.-based laboratory several years ago. But the tattoo in his ear, painfully etched into his skin as an identification marker, revealed a shocking truth about his past…
Mason’s seven-digit ear tattoo didn’t trace back to any U.S. breeder or lab. Instead, it led to the now-shuttered Green Hill beagle breeding facility in Italy—once operated by Marshall BioResources, one of the world’s largest suppliers of beagles bred specifically to be sold into laboratory testing.
In 2012, after massive public outcry and the efforts of thousands of activists, Green Hill was shut down, and more than 2,500 beagles were freed.
But Mason was not one of them.
Records show that Mason, born in late 2010, had already been sold—shipped across international borders to a U.S. laboratory, where years of experimentation would follow. His story reveals a global pipeline of suffering, in which animals are bred in one country and transported across the world, their lives reduced to utility rather than recognized as sentient individuals.
Today, Mason is finally safe, living the life he was always meant to have in a loving home.
Mason’s Journey, Shared by His Family
“Our first beagle, Millie, came from a local shelter. She struggled with trust and never made a sound. A tattoo in her ear — and a video from Beagle Freedom Project — made us realize she had likely come from a lab. That discovery stayed with me.
Years later, we chose to adopt a former lab beagle intentionally. After years on the waiting list, we were matched with Mason in 2016. He was 5½ and celebrated his first “free birthday” that December.
He didn’t know toys, blankets, or how to play — but he loved soft beds and quickly claimed every couch. He survived hemangiosarcoma and chemotherapy, and now manages chronic health issues with the help of an integrative vet.
After Millie passed during COVID, Mason became the heart of our home. Caring for him has given me a purpose I didn’t know I needed. Watching him grow into the dog he was meant to be has been one of the greatest joys of my life.”
This August, Mason will celebrate ten years of freedom — and soon after, his sixteenth birthday. His life is a reminder of what rescue makes possible.
For 16 years, Beagle Freedom Project has been rescuing animals like Mason from labs across the United States and around the world, giving thousands of survivors a second chance.
But countless others are still waiting, and BFP’s work will not end until EVERY cage is empty.
Join us. Help end animal testing by shopping cruelty-free. Download our free app, Cruelty-Cutter, to learn more and get started today.
