WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — More than 6,270 adoption applications are already in—and most rescued beagles haven’t even hit the adoption floor yet.
Hundreds of beagles rescued from a Wisconsin research facility are now in Florida shelters, where staff say demand has been immediate and overwhelming as the dogs begin medical care and socialization.
At Big Dog Ranch Rescue, which helped coordinate the transfer, officials say the response has surged statewide as nearly 400 of the dogs arrive at its Loxahatchee Groves property. The organization says it has received more than 6,000 adoption applications so far.
The beagles originally came from Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin, a breeding facility that supplies dogs for veterinary research and has faced scrutiny after a judge found probable cause for animal cruelty concerns. A settlement later led to the release of roughly 1,500 beagles to rescue organizations across the country.
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At Tri-County Animal Rescue, 15 of the dogs are already getting steady attention from staff, volunteers, and would-be adopters.
“They are in much better mental condition than we expected they would be,” Amanda Zimmer, Tri-County’s assistant director, told CBS12 news partners at the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We’ve done rescues before where the dogs want to cower and hide. But the beagles are very kind dogs. Even without having had human contact, they are still looking for love and are glad to sit in a human’s lap.”
Zimmer said interest in adopting the floppy-eared companions has been immediate.
“There was a line out the door,” she told the Sun Sentinel on Thursday, adding the shelter has already received about 170 adoption applications. One beagle, named Robert Downey Jr., has already been adopted.
Shelters that have taken in rescued beagles:
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