ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Governor Larry Hogan signed more than 200 bills into law Tuesday morning, some of which cracks down on repeat violent offenders and those who commit crimes with guns. The one bill that made Hogan smile the most was the so-called Beagle Bill, named for the most common dog breed used in testing. The bill will require cats and dogs used for research to be given a chance at adoption. When the animal is no longer needed, research facilities will have to give them to animal rescue organizations.…
Category: News
Coalition Of Campaigners Sues Trump Administration's Decision To Censor Animal Welfare Data
A coalition of animal and health organizations has filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to conceal animal welfare records. The censored documents include information about revealing whether laboratories, puppy mills, roadside zoos, and other animal-using businesses are engaged in practices that violate the federal Animal Welfare Act [AWA]. Campaigners from animal rights charity PETA, the Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine [PCRM], the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Rescue and Freedom Project (formerly the Beagle Freedom Project) are all plaintiffs in the case.…
Pet Stores Urged to Increase Ethical Standards by Supplying Cruelty Free Products for Companion Animals
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…
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…
Puppy Mania!
Spring is in the air! Flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and the Beagle Freedom Project is in puppy heaven! In January 2018 seven of the fifteen beagles rescued from a Beijing laboratory flew to the US for veterinary care, forever families, and freedom. The other seven beagles remained and were adopted by amazing families in China. One senior beagle, scheduled to come to America had to have her trip postponed; she was pregnant. Although Maria is a very sensitive senior who is also blind, she gave birth to…
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…
Party with the Peeps
Spring is in the air! And freedom is on the ground. What better way to usher in the season and holiday weekend than by welcoming 10 sweet little bunnies just rescued from a laboratory!
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…
A Rescue Lifestyle
Artists; whether painters, singers, or poets, have always had a special gift for capturing an essence of an emotion. Whether through song or sonnet, they often portray what we are feeling about heartbreak, joy, love, loss, and frankly, life. Last week we stumbled upon an old letter from Fiona Apple to her fans announcing the reason she was postponing her South American tour and were so moved. Her letter captured the spirit of a “rescue lifestyle” that we daily celebrate and are driven to expand. It is a beautiful and…
Animal rescue group Cuts the Cruelty by exposing company toying with animals in labs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE LOS ANGELES, CA—Animal protection group Beagle Freedom Project (BFP), known internationally for rescuing hundreds of animals from animal research laboratories, is announcing its new “Cut the Cruelty” campaign, to shine a bright light on companies with cruel ties to animal testing. First up, Marshall Pet Products, a pet supply retailer selling toys and treats, is also the largest U.S. supplier of beagles, ferrets and other animals used in laboratory experiments. Online retail giant Overstock.com has already pulled all merchandise from Marshall Pet Products after BFP informed them…
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,”…