Beagle Freedom Project (BFP), an animal welfare group, has just announced its latest campaign. Cut the Cruelty will expose pet suppliers with ties to animal testing and work with major retailers to discontinue their partnerships with these suppliers. The campaign has already reached an agreement with overstock.com, which will no longer do business with Marshall Pet Products. BFP Founder and President, Shannon Keith, explained that many pet supply companies are also associated with animal experimentation. Marshall Pet Products, for example, sells pet toys and treats, but it is also connected…
Category: In The Press
Maryland Passes ‘Beagle Freedom Bill’ to Help Research Dogs Get Adopted
The Maryland General Assembly has passed new legislation that requires research facilities in the state to “take reasonable steps” to adopt out any dogs used in scientific experiments once they are no longer needed. Named the Beagle Freedom Bill because beagles are the most commonly used dog breed for research, the new law means institutions will have to search for placement of the dogs, or create relationships with animal rescue centers that can help find them new homes. Up until now, there have been no laws regulating what happens to…
Bill To Protect Dogs Used in Research Passes, But Sponsor Says It Was ‘Neutered’ by Foes
Del. Kramer poised to push additional protections for companion animals in next year’s session At first glance, Del. Ben Kramer’s multiyear effort to protect companion animals was successful on two fronts during the just-finished 2018 session of the Maryland General Assembly. Legislation offered by Kramer to end the sale of dogs in retail pet stores—where critics say many of the animals are products of so-called “puppy mills”—sailed through the House and Senate. It is awaiting Gov. Larry Hogan’s signature, as is another Kramer proposal—which he had been pushing for four…
Bill requiring research animals get a chance at being adopted advances in Maryland General Assembly
Dogs used in research could have a better chance of eventually becoming pets under a bill winding through the Maryland General Assembly. The state Senate already has approved the measure, which includes dogs and cats, though it is dubbed the Beagle Freedom Bill because the breed is the most common dog used in research. A hearing is slated for Tuesday in the House of Delegates and nearly 100 lawmakers already have signed on as co-sponsors. The bill even won support from former Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith, who is featured…
Beagle Freedom Project Saved 10 Bunnies From Human Drug Testing
The rabbits were saved from a laboratory, and are currently up for adoption. Rescuing ten rabbits from a laboratory sounds risky, and perhaps even covert. When the Beagle Freedom Project (BFP) — which has been saving animals from laboratories since 2010 — recently announced that they saved ten bunnies from Agoura Hills, California, where the animals were being used for human drug testing, we caught up with the organization’s founder to learn more. As it turns out, the rabbits are now living on a sanctuary, and once they are spayed…
Dog Found In The Worst Place Had No Idea His Life Was About To Change
Thor had been through unimaginable trauma. Last September, the 8-year-old Tibetan mastiff found himself inside a tiny cage at a dog slaughterhouse near Beijing, China. He had to watch as men brutally killed other dogs right in front of him, using them for their meat. Since Thor was a large and physically strong mastiff, the slaughterhouse owner had hired several men to help kill him. But when the men tried killing Thor, the dog fought back. “He was attacking them, they got bitten and so the slaughterhouse owner was upset,”…
Eagles and beagles: Super Bowl champ Torrey Smith featured in billboard in support of 'Beagle Bill'
Former Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith, who will now have two Super Bowl rings thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday, is still making his presence known in Baltimore. Smith, who last spring made a donation to BARCS that covered the adoption fees for every dog and cat at the animal shelter’s Pawject Runway fundraiser, is now featured on a billboard for the Show Your Soft Side campaign. In the ad, the former Terp holds a beagle, whose name is Lucia, alongside the tagline,…
Rescue Beagles: A Life Away From The Lab
Many research labs across the country use animals for testing products such as make-up or medicines. For the past decade, advocates have pushed to get more of these animals — especially research dogs — adopted after they are no longer needed. Just a handful of states have policies in place. Illinois just recently joined that list. Lucy is a three-year-old beagle who grew up in a research laboratory. Last year, she was rescued by the California-based organization the Beagle Freedom Project who paired her up with Lauren and Scott Knudsen…
Meet 15 Beagles Rescued From China at Vanderpump Dogs!
Today, fifteen beagles rescued in China will arrive in America — and be transported to the best possible place … the Vanderpump Dog Foundation. There, they will languish in splendor — and be rehabilitated — until someone adopts them. Could you imagine a better place to land if you are a canine down on your luck? In Lisa Vanderpump’s pink paradise, where you will be groomed by hot out-of-work models, and cooed at in a cloud of English rose perfume? The fifteen beagles were rescued by the Beagle Freedom Project,…
Students take a stand for retired research animals
INDIANAPOLIS – Freezing temperatures, icy roads and a little snow couldn’t keep Eastwood Middle School students away from the Statehouse Monday morning to testify in favor of adoption of retired research animals. Senate Bill 16 would require universities and facilities across the state that use dogs or cats in experiments of any purpose to offer retired animals for adoption to the public or animal care facilities. The animals must be healthy and cannot have a significant medical diagnosis. The Eastwood sixth graders were joined by Jamie Archer of Illinois and…
Try Not To Cry While Watching Rescued Beagles Touch Grass For First Time
1010 WINS-In 2017, animal testing is still a real way for companies to test the safety and usability of products, chemicals and the like before being released to the general public. The viability of this practice has been debated for centuries by scholars and the medical establishment, but still remains a means for clearing and approving a myriad of wares. More often than not, these animals live their entire lives in small wire cages just big enough to stand, lay and turn around. Those born into this environment seldom see…
How to Combat the USDA's Animal Welfare Blackout
The government just made it nearly impossible to track the abuse of millions of animals used in laboratories each year. VegNews speaks to Beagle Freedom Project founder Shannon Keith to find out what we can do to weather the blow. On February 3, 2017, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), removed all records of animals used in laboratories—including information related to instances of abuse—from its website. This action has devastating implications for animals and greatly impedes the ability of advocates…