Beagle puppies rescued from breeding facility celebrate first birthday

WASHINGTON - A litter of beagles rescued from inhumane conditions at a breeding facility in Virginia just celebrated their first birthday.

After medical contract breeding facility Envigo was found guilty of inhumane conditions last year, Homeward Trails Animal Rescue in Fairfax Station took in 618 of the approximately four thousand beagles rescued in February 2022.

Out of the original 618 beagles, Homeward Trails transferred 488 to partner organizations and kept 130 beagles, all of which were successfully adopted.

The dogs reunited for a day of fun and celebration on June 25 in Woodbridge, Virginia.

The party was hosted by Cynthia Leakes, who initially fostered all five siblings, and eventually adopted one. In an email to Fox 5 DC, Leakes said even though all the beagles were adopted by different families, the adoptive families of all five siblings - and their mother - have remained in touch, allowing for regular meetups like this one.

The five beagle siblings, who were only referred to by the numbers on their ear tags at Envigo, were afterwards named Finn, Rose, Mia, Chewy and Khali. They all live in Northern Virginia and Maryland. Their mother, Violet, was adopted to a family in Culpeper, Virginia.

Each one received a gift basket full of goodies, including a blanket and a birthday hat. They also chowed down on a doggie-friendly birthday cake.