When the door to his crate opened, the first thing Nicole Miller could see was Joey’s big, droopy eyes as the beagle slowly crept out.
Miller, her husband Jarret and her three children crouched on the floor of the room, silent and still as Joey, with slow, halting steps, approached them.
“He went to the kids first,” Miller said. “Seeing him come out and immediately come to people was really heartwarming for us.”
Joey, along with four other beagles, had been transported across the Canada-U.S. border after they were rescued from a life as test animals in research facilities.
It’s a journey that required multiple initiatives to come together: BARC’s Rescue, a Calgary-based animal rescue; Manitoba-based The Beagle Alliance; and Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary, based in the United States.
The U.S. sanctuary had located and rescued the animals from the research facilities, according to Lori Cohen, founder of The Beagle Alliance.
But little is known about what kind of facilities the dogs lived in and what they had to endure in their short lives.
“We rarely ever know what was done in the laboratory,” she said. But most of the dogs they rescue exhibit similar symptoms of having lived in the facility, including post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.
“They have never had a choice in their life,” she said. “They were bred right into testing. So this is now their first opportunity to choose sleep on the couch or choose to play with another dog or pick up a toy.”
Beagles are a popular choice of animal for testing because of their “docile, sweet nature,” she said. “They’re very forgiving and they really just don’t bite back. Also they’re a manageable size.”
Trixie, a beagle rescued from lab research, takes her first steps into freedom toward her new foster human Kristen in Calgary on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Five beagles met their new families at Barc’s Rescue after being freed from a life of laboratory research by Beagle Alliance and Kindness Ranch Sanctuary.
Foster family plans for comfortable pace for their beagle
In a small room in southeast Calgary, the five dogs slowly made their way out of their respective crates and cautiously wandered around the space, sniffing at outstretched hands, back legs shaking as they gingerly accepted pets and scratches.
The Millers, who have agreed to foster Joey, plan to bring him home and let him into their backyard to introduce him to their resident golden retriever.
“She is going to be very excited, but I think she’s a docile dog and she’ll let them have space,” Miller said of their resident pup.
Prior to fostering, the family had many discussions about what it meant to foster an animal who had previously lived in a research facility.
“Talking to our kids about animal testing has been a new conversation,” she said. “And then learning about the traumas that certain dogs come with. They’ve never had that experience with a dog before, so we’re learning a lot about scared behaviors and being so gentle and letting them come out on their own and not forcing too much on them at the same time.”
The plan is to go along with a pace that Joey is comfortable with, she said.
“We’ll probably let him out to roam the yard a little bit, get a little bit acclimatized to his surroundings until the dogs meet face to face, and then it’s just gonna be exploring the main floor in our house,” she said. “Just keep it small, let him kind of explore a little bit on his own.”
Joey, a beagle rescued from lab research, is held by foster family member Nicole Miller in Calgary on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Five beagles met their new families at Barc’s Rescue after being freed from a life of laboratory research by Beagle Alliance and Kindness Ranch Sanctuary.
‘When I saw her face, I was done … She’s mine’
Gillian Wallace has been a longtime lover of beagles, sharing two beagles and a corgi with her husband Jay Smith.
She had found out about the opportunity to foster the beagles on social media and leapt at the chance to bring another beagle home.
“Our first was actually from the dog meat trade out of China,” she said. “And after picking him up and seeing how sweet and kind and resilient he was, it just made me think I got to keep rescuing.”
In her arms was Jingle, a skinny little creature with doleful eyes and a pink harness.
“When I saw her face, I was done,” Wallace said. “She’s mine.”
Jingles had been pretty hesitant to come out of her carrier, Wallace said. “That breaks my heart.”
Tonight, the plan is to spoil the pup with treats and Netflix on the couch.
“Give her some cuddles, some time to decompress before she meets the others,” Wallace said.
Watching the rescues go off with their fosters is nothing new to Cohen, and yet, every moment feels just a little “different.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I cry every time.”