After spending his entire life in the confines of a laboratory, this beagle didn’t know anything about ordinary life on the outside—that is, until now.

Koa spent all seven years of his life being used for toxicity testing, where he was kept every single day in a cramped kennel with no windows. But miraculously, the loving pup got to start a whole new phase of his life after he was rescued from the facility in Arkansas and taken to a foster home in Houston, Texas.

President and founder of the Beagle Freedom Project (BFP), Shannon Keith, watched the moment Koa finally learned the meaning of freedom, telling Newsweek: “It was the first time he had ever been outdoors and given a loving home.”

Koa may not have known happiness prior to his rescue, but since being freed, he’s certainly made himself comfortable in his foster home. His new family even treated him to his “first ever bed.” Footage of the moment he realized that it was all for him was posted on the organization’s Instagram page (@beaglefreedom) and it’s already been viewed more than 45,000 times and received over 4,900 likes.

Sadly, Koa is one of many dogs used in laboratories for experiments, and the Humane Society estimates that there are over 50 million animals being used for testing in the U.S. Most of the time, they’re given toxic chemicals or infected with diseases before being given drugs or treatments to monitor their responses.

While these experiments are done on a range of animals, (including cats, rats, monkeys and rabbits) beagles specifically are commonplace at laboratories. The Animal Rescue Team associated with the Humane Society rescued 4,000 beagles in the summer of 2022 alone, with many more yet to be freed.

Fortunately for Koa, he is one of the many dogs that the BFP has saved this year, and it hopes to continue changing as many lives as possible.

Keith continued: “Koa is the sweetest, he loves to snuggle with people and other dogs. When he got the bed, he went over to it, and then promptly rolled onto his back, moving back and forth in the most adorable way. It was as if he was discovering that this was all his, as he did this for quite a while and then took a deep breath and fell asleep.”

“He loves to snuggle with his foster mom and other dogs, which he does on the couch, but Koa is his own dog and when he wants serious sleep, he goes to his bed to be left alone. We think he really appreciates his new bed.”

As much as Koa loves his new foster family, he is ready for adoption and the BFP hopes to find him a forever home where he can enjoy the constant company of other pets, who can also teach him “how to be a dog.”

Among the hundreds of comments on the viral Instagram post, many people have praised the lifesaving work of the BFP, and celebrated Koa’s comfy new bed.

One comment reads: “My heart goes out to these dogs, it’s so sad that they have to endure this punishment of lab testing.”

Another person responded: “Aww Koa, enjoy your freedom, bless you.”

While one Instagram user wrote: “What a sweetie pie! Enjoy your new life!”

Original Source: News Week