It has been called the Great Beagle Escape. BeagleMania. Beagleopogus. Beaglearama. BeFreegles. …and many more names that were both tender, funny, or sweet.
In reality it was very simple.
It was about telling 120 beings that their lives were worth something.
That we are sorry for our species.
That we apologize for what some of us have done.
That we aren’t ALL like that and those of us that aren’t – want to make a difference.
To help.
To embrace those lives, whisper in their ears that it is over now, that we’ll not let anything bad happen to them ever again.
At Pets Alive our staff worked very long hours. Our volunteers were here every day and then took work home with them. We got hundreds of applications for the 90 beagles we brought to our facility. And we poured over every single one. In rooms with a half a dozen people. We discussed all the applications. The criteria? PERFECTION. Not a single one of the people working on applications took it lightly. These dogs had lived a life of hell. We were going to make damn sure that the homes we selected for them would be wonderful.
It was a huge responsibility. People can lie. People can tell you half truths. We checked their references, we called their vets and talked to them endlessly about the kind of people these were. We felt a HUGE weight on our shoulders to do right by these dogs….we of course have this weight with every dog, but for the beagles it was even more important. We had so many apps, that we could pick and choose the people and give them a golden ticket. Staff often chose people with kids – so the dogs would have a lot of love and attention and always have a friend. Or they picked people that worked from home so that the dogs would not be locked in a crate for 8 – 10 hours a day while the people were at work. You can debate if this is fair or not. I don’t care what you decide. Those of us that looked at those tiny, terrified faces every day….knew we had to make sure their future homes were the best that we could possibly ever find. It wasn’t first come, first serve. It was BEST application. BEST people.
And I am proud to say that the staff and volunteers of Pets Alive did right by every single one of those beagles. As I have been meeting the families, I’m moved and touched. Every one of them calmly talks to the dogs, and stretches out a hand. I watch as they sometimes get choked up, imaging what their life has been, or forget that I am standing there as they wrap the dog into their arms, sit on the floor and whisper to them. What they whisper, I am not privy to, but I’m certain that the dog understands. Is comforted. Every one of them relaxes in their arms and often half closes their eyes.
It is truly a gift to be able to see this. To do this.
I don’t know what I would do with my life if not for this. What would make me feel whole.
This job, these people I work with, these volunteers that stand beside us, these people that donate their very hard earned money to make a difference – are there any better people in the world than those which have surrounded me and us on this mission?
As of this writing, on Friday, July 16th, all but 15 of the beagles have been placed, and that includes those from the rescues that stepped up to take some into their facility. Of that 15 we probably have enough good applications to place them this week. It has been quite a whirlwind of madness here at Pets Alive with Monhagen Animal Hospital working triple time to get all the altering done in absolute RECORD time so these sweet dogs wouldn’t have to spend even another minute without a home. Everyone who has adopted them has had the same thing to say – they are almost completely house trained within the first few days (if they even EVER have an accident) and they get along with EVERYONE – adults, dogs, kids, cats. They are really an amazing group of dogs.
We were deeply moved by the community who stepped up and filled out hundreds of applications to welcome these sweet dogs into their homes. The volunteers that come every day to help in whatever capacity was needed, and the staff who put themselves out there working 12-14 hours a day after punching OUT and then giving us the rest of the time as volunteers, and the people who donated to either name a beagle or just to write us kind words and say “thanks for doing this, thanks for being there”. It moved us many, many times over the past two weeks. We were also touched by Best Friends who sent people here to help and find out what we needed, and covered all expenses for the dogs vetting, even after it was discovered that most needed dentals in addition to altering, generating quite a vet bill that they covered in addition to everything else they were covering. Their blog coverage of the rescue was also wonderful and can be found here.
Dogs that were at first afraid to put their feet on grass, tentative to meet each other, who stared vacantly at toys – are now racing around, running with big grins on their face, chasing balls and some have even started to bay like beagles. It is truly awe inspiring to have been a part of something like this and to watch them “awaken” into being true dogs for the first time.
I am very lucky.
Lucky to be able to have this in my life.
Lucky to be able to share it with all of you.
Lucky to know all of you.
Thank you for this gift.
Thank you for caring.
There is an award that Pets Alive gives out every year. It is called the “Starfish Award”. It is based on that old tale about a man walking along the beach and as he walks, he picks up stranded starfish and throws them back into the ocean. Someone walks by him and scoffs at him, making fun, and asks why is he doing that – he can’t POSSIBLY save them all and so it doesn’t matter. And the man replies that “It mattered to THAT one” as he throws another back into the ocean.
You all deserve a Starfish Award.
Thank you for caring about that “one”.
Without you, we could never help any of them.
363 Derby Road
Middletown, NY, 10940
(845) 386-9738
– Dog Team: Ext. 2
– Cat Team: Ext. 3
Daily: 10 am – 4 pm (EST)
i’m crying tears of happiness and joy.
for the beagles.
for Pets Alive.
for you, Kerry.
for ALL of the staff who are, literally, so amazing.
THANK YOU.
thank you for doing this.
thank you for caring.
thank you for sharing.
thank you for being an inspiration … to the individual and to the budding rescue group.
it’s not quite the same, but when i see a rescued cat go from fearful – to playing with a toy – to purring in my arms … it feels so amazing. a life saved and happiness found … for the animal, and for me. i know the beagles had larger obstacles to overcome, but it is the caring human that helps them get there that much faster.
it is an honor to know you just a little bit through these blogs and chance conversations.
Kerry.
All I can say to you is thank you! Thank you to all of the wonderful people at Pet’s Alive who have made it possible for me to bring home one of these beautiful babies. I am honored and privileged to have been chosen to change the life of a little dog who has been cheated out of her first five years. Today Sparkler now named Juno came home. And while she has so much to learn she has come amazingly far in the 12 hours we have had her so far. From knowing to do her business outside to sniffing out the hiding place of the dog biscuits the first five minutes she was home! I am watching her sleep now, finally, after a long and difficult day of new experiences; I am sure she is exhausted. The adjustment will come and soon she will forget the horrors that we can only imagine.
For my part I promise to make every one of her days as wonderful as humanly possible to love her and allow her to just be a dog. Thank you again. God bless.
I too am crying while I read this. I’ve enjoyed watching the Great Beagle Escape story unfold and am thrilled to see such happy endings for these little darlings. I’ve been a beagle mom for the last 10 years and I can tell you how much love they have to give and what a joy they are to have in your life. I’m so glad you took the time to choose the right homes for them and I’m sure the dogs and their people will all have very happy lives from now on because of your hard work and dedication.
God bless each and every one of you!
We just took home Muffin the other day. She was a little scared at first, but watching her run around the yard with her new brother and sister dogs is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! She learned how to walk up stairs the other night, and is quite proud of herself. She loves sleeping on the couch. We’re so happy to have her.. She’s so happy. Thank you for saving all of these beagles lives.. We’re so happy to be able to take one home and give her a great life..
This is a lovely post, Kerry…it is my honor and privilege to be associated with such a loving and caring group of people! Congratulations on this success and big Hugs to all!
Such a heartwarming event — thanks to all who made this happen. Hoping homeless cats and dogs everywhere can be so fortunate to find such wonderful families.
Hi:
Thank you for all you do for all the animals and the great beagle rescue which touched my heart. I was honored to be accepted to adopt Skid our beautiful beagle who is now named Benji. The surprise was that after we picked him out I found out that he was born on my wedding anniversary 9/25. It was so meant to be. We took him home on 7/18 (my daughters birthday) and he was very calm in the car and adjusted to his new home. He goes on the wee pads and is still a little nervous outside but is adapting quickly. Today he ran around playing with a ball and had a great time. He has made the whole family so happy and we will treasure him always and keep you updated on his progress. Thank you again for this wonderful opportunity to pamper this beautiful treasure.
They deserve the best of all,I am Brazilian,I have 8 Beagles living with us in our farm,three of them were adopted.For me the worst thing in this world is to hear about those Beagles inside the Labs….How they can do all those atrocities with them? Beagles are so friendly,happy,loyal little dogs!They are used in experiments because they really believe that all they are going to do to them is simply something for fun…they don´t know that this kind of trust will kill him….We can´t stop to try to save all of them!
God bless you all for this wonderful rescue!
I was fortunate enough to adopt one of the beagles rescued from the NJ lab. Thank you Pet’s Alive for your part in making this rescue happen!!
I can’t believe how well our little Thomas has adjusted to life outside the lab. It’s such a pleasure to see him running around the yard with his long ears flapping in the breeze. He loves people and exploring the world around him. I thought housebreaking would be a problem, but Thomas prefers to relieve himself outside and has only had 1 accident in 2 weeks….unbelievable!!
I hope all of the other beagles are adjusting to their new homes as well as Thomas is!
Thank you so much for doing this.
I see their faces and cry.
My dear adopted daughter “dog” was locked up in a cage for years, giving babies to f… people that sale them giving her nothing back. She was so depressed. I created a dance, a music and games for her. She started to get better with time and today, almost 2 years later she is unrecognisable.
Animals are not here to serve us, they deserve life and to be happy, once and for all!!!
I adore Beagles! I have five of my own and they are all so fantastic. I’d be lost without them!
We live in eastern Washington State, and had been looking for a beagle to adopt for months. Just before we found out about what you guys did out there, Sheryl found an ad on Craigslist, submitted by a lady whose young family had found a female beagle out in the middle of nowhere (ie the desert canyon), with not so much as a collar. They couldn’t keep her, but didn’t want to entrust her to a local pound. That day, Sheryl woke me up with an incredible sense of urgency, showed me the picture, and we were on the phone in a matter of minutes. The lady agreed to hold the dog for us, pulled her ad, and the next day after work, we were off to carry out our own Beagle Rescue. When we arrived, the little brat who would become Dixie, quite literally jumped into Sheryl’s arms-next stop, the back seat of the car! That beagle was the scruffiest,dirtiest, flea and tick bitten dog either of us had ever seen. We took her for a trip to the river, then got her home, where we cleaned her up over the weekend, and got rid of the ticks (not discovered until the day after we’d had her a couple of days). Next was her shots, and several hundred dollars worth of vet bills to make VERY damn sure she was protected against everything there is to shield a beagle from.
That was last Spring, and today Dixie is a treasured and adored part of our new family. Luckily, I grew up with a beagle (also adopted), so knew the ins and outs of the breed, and have taught Sheryl and the kids as we go along. It took about a month for Dixie’s “true beagle” traits to emerge, but now it’s all there, including the part about baying when we’re trying to do other things,lol. For a beagle, Dixie’s a surprisingly picky eater, whereas my childhood pet, Jupiter, would “inhale” practically any food put in front of him (or,that he might “discover”…).
What you guys did,and are doing,brought us many tears, both of happiness for all the happy endings, but also of outrage at how those 120 beagles were kept in their Hell for the past several years. We feel certain that had we been living out in New Jersey, we would have had an extremely high chance of being among those selected to received one of the dogs. As it is, we have our rescuee here (in fact, she’s asleep against me as I write this), and all is well.
Thank you guys from the bottom of all our hearts for what you did, and God bless.