Beaglism
Stand With Us: Support Our Purpose
Beagles are the most commonly used dog breed in laboratory research because of their small size and trusting nature. Thousands are still bred for experiments every year. Below are active petitions, legislation, and organizations working right now to get beagles out of labs and into homes. Pick one and take five minutes to help.
Get Advocacy Alerts
New petitions and bill votes happen often. Get a short email when there's something time-sensitive you can act on — no spam, just the alerts.
Sign These Petitions
Save the Remaining Beagles from Ridglan Farms
Ridglan Farms, one of the largest U.S. breeders of beagles for research, is shutting down its breeding pipeline by mid-2026 — but advocates are pushing to make sure the remaining dogs go to rescues, not other labs. Add your name.
Support the Beagle Freedom Bill (Right to Release)
This law requires laboratories to offer healthy dogs and cats up for adoption instead of euthanizing them once testing ends. It has already passed in over a dozen states. Tell your representatives to support it where it hasn't passed yet.
Demand USDA Transparency on Lab Animal Welfare Records
The USDA removed public access to records documenting violations at animal testing facilities. This petition calls for that database to be restored so the public can hold labs accountable.
Organizations Doing the Work
Beagle Freedom Project
Rescues beagles directly from laboratories worldwide and places them in homes. Also runs the legislative push behind the Beagle Freedom Bill. Donations, fostering, and sponsorships all help.
Humane World for Animals (formerly The HSUS)
Led the 2022 rescue of over 4,000 beagles from the Envigo breeding facility, the largest dog rescue in U.S. history. Continues to push the FDA, EPA, and NIH toward non-animal testing methods.
Rise for Animals
Investigates and reports on laboratory breeders like Ridglan Farms, files USDA complaints, and tracks legislation affecting research animals. Their weekly news roundup is the best way to stay current.
White Coat Waste Project
A bipartisan group that exposes taxpayer-funded animal testing. Their reporting pressured the NIH into shutting down its last in-house beagle lab in 2025.
Visit White Coat Waste Project
Other Ways to Help
Contact your representatives. A short, personal email or call asking your member of Congress to support Right to Release legislation takes two minutes and carries real weight. Script below.
Adopt or foster a lab-rescued beagle. Reach out to Beagle Freedom Project or a local rescue to ask about upcoming placements.
Share what you learn. Most people have no idea beagles are still bred for labs. Sharing one article or petition with your network is real advocacy.
Contact Your Representatives: Script Included
Most people skip this step because it's hard to know what to say. Copy the script below, fill in the blanks, and send it — it takes about two minutes.
Email Script
Subject: Please support the Right to Release for research animals
Dear [Representative's Name],
I'm a constituent writing to ask you to support "Right to Release" legislation that requires
laboratories to offer healthy dogs and cats up for adoption instead of euthanizing them once research
ends. Beagles make up a large share of dogs used in lab testing, and most are healthy enough to live
out the rest of their lives in a home.
[Optional: Add one sentence about why this matters to you — for example, if you've adopted a
rescued lab beagle, or simply care about animal welfare.]
Please support this legislation, or work toward reintroducing it federally if it's not currently active
in your state. Thank you for your time and representation.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your City, State]
Find your representative's contact form at house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.
Phone Call Script
"Hi, my name is [Your Name] and I'm a constituent from [City/Zip Code]. I'm calling to ask the Representative to support Right to Release legislation for research animals, so that healthy dogs and cats — including beagles used in lab testing — are offered for adoption instead of being euthanized after research ends. Could you let them know I'd like their support on this? Thank you."
Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121 — they'll connect you directly to your representative's office.
Sources
- Envigo beagle rescue (2022, ~4,000 dogs): Humane World for Animals coverage
- Ridglan Farms breeding facility closure: Rise for Animals investigations
- NIH in-house beagle testing lab closure (2025): White Coat Waste Project reporting
- Right to Release / Beagle Freedom Bill status by state: Beagle Freedom Project
This page was last updated June 2026. Organizations, bill statuses, and campaign details change over time — please verify current details on each source's site before sharing.