Lab Beagle Who Lived in a Basement Cage for Years Finally Learns How to be a Dog!

Images of the Asian dog meat industry are extremely offensive to us Westerners, and rightfully so given the unnecessary pain and suffering those dogs endure. But did you know that dogs are also tortured here in our own backyard … in the name of science?

Upwards of 75,000 dogs are used for research in the United States each year, according to the American Anti-Vivisection Society, and because of their docile nature, the majority of these animals are beagles.

These poor dogs are regularly injected and prodded, force-fed, and slathered with potentially toxic substances such as new pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides, and/or food additive chemicals. All this is done in an attempt to prove these substances are safe for the public, and garner approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for their release. Laboratories also use these sweet pups for cardiovascular and pulmonary studies, cancer research, and even dental implant trials. The dogs are in no way treated as the pets we view them to be. Instead, they are kept in dark, cold cages and provided little human affection, served only the minimum food requirements along with a frequent dose of fear and suffering.

It’s amazing they can ever learn to trust a human again, but somehow, they do.

Take, for example, Potato, who was rescued by the Beagle Freedom Project from a Midwest laboratory two years ago.

 Beagle Freedom Project found him a new home and a new mom named Melissa.

His new life also includes two new brothers, including five-year-old Ben …

… and fellow beagle Buddy!

He has managed to make a few other friends, too.

Although he still gets a little nervous around some people and can act timid at first, he now lives a normal dog’s life and has grown out of many of the behavioral quirks that accompanied him out of the lab.

It’s wonderful to see how a family full of love and trust can transform these pups and help them forget about the horrors of their pasts.

Potato has since traveled to ComicCon in Las Vegas and San Diego to meet up with other rescued beagles and teach attendants about the realities of animal testing and the importance of being cruelty-free.

You can help other laboratory dogs like Potato by avoiding products that are tested on animals, supporting the Beagle Freedom Project and other beagle rescue groups, following these groups on Facebook, and sharing information about other rescued pups. You can also follow Miley Cyrus’ lead and adopt a Potato of your own, then let your new little friend help spread awareness with you in the most adorable way possible.

All image source: Beagle Freedom Project