MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — It's official — all 25 beagles that arrived in West Michigan from a shutdown breeding and research facility have been adopted. Hundreds applied to adopt the dogs.
Around 4,000 beagles were rescued from the Envigo facility in Virginia this summer, and over the last month, they've been finding homes across the country. Here in West Michigan, more than two dozen dogs are now getting spoiled with the love they deserve.
One of the adopted dogs, Peggy Sue, arrived at her forever home a few weeks ago. Up until recently, the five-year-old beagle didn't know what a leash was.
"She's definitely doing better," Hannah Hilborn, Peggy Sue's owner, says. "She's very kind of docile and a little bit skittish. But compared to three weeks ago, it's like every single day, she's a brand new dog."
Peggy Sue was rescued from the shuttered facility among thousands of other beagles. You can still see her tattoo in her ear, which was her only name up until now. Hilborn says Peggy Sue is learning how to be a normal, happy and healthy dog.
"She just recently started to actually like chew toys and put a treat in her mouth for the first time," Hilborn says.
She says while it's sad to see Peggy Sue be scared of things like flies and loud cars, it's rewarding to watch her grow.
"It's just so heartwarming to see her not be traumatized to the point where she can't be a normal dog and to really kind of assimilate to a normal life," Hilborn says. "It's really nice."
Harbor Humane Society in Ottawa County adopted out Peggy Sue to Hilborn. The rescue adopted out all ten dogs right away instead of fostering them out first because of their personalities and health.
"We were just really astounded when we first met them, because they were just a lot friendlier than we thought they'd be," Executive Director Jen Self-Aulgur says.
"It was almost like they knew that this was their chance and their new beginning. And all of them were really loving and wanting attention."
Fifteen of the dogs went to foster homes through the Humane Society of West Michigan before all getting adopted this past weekend.
"The people who fostered most of them did wind up adopting their beagles," Marketing and Communications Coordinator Brianna Shahly says. "It was very exciting to see them all just get, you know, as soon as the fosters came to pick them up, you could see on their faces. They're like, 'This is my baby.'"
The community raised $10,000 for the Humane Society of West Michigan to care for these beagles.
"It really just makes a difference for us to see the community engaged and interested. And that support just means the world to us," Shahly says. "So thank you so much to everybody who is excited about them. We really cannot do this without you."
For those who may be disappointed they didn't get to adopt one of these dogs, both rescues say summertime is their busiest season, so they have plenty of pets available for adoption.
"Shelter animals aren't broken," Self-Aulgur says. "They are ready to love and they just need a chance. And so, we really asked people to come to the shelter, take a look around, meet with the animals. You know, don't judge just by what you're seeing in a cage. Actually take the time to get to know some of the animals and we guarantee that there's a match for everyone out there."
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