LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - Over a dozen beagles rescued from a former research facility are getting a second chance at life in South Florida, as they arrived at a local animal rescue to get prepared for a forever home.
Fifteen beagles arrived on Friday at Saving Sage Animal Rescue Foundation in Lauderhill after volunteers picked them up from Palm Beach County.
The dogs were transferred to Lauderhill after Big Dog Ranch Rescue reached out for help.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue saved the dogs from a research facility in Wisconsin. Organizers said their group, along with the Center for a Humane Economy, purchased the 1,500 dogs to remove them from the facility due to the conditions there.
Now, volunteers with Saving Sage Animal Rescue are getting them ready for adoption.
“Anyone considering adopting or fostering one of these dogs needs to be prepared for the fact that these dogs are not going to be potty trained. They’re going to be largely terrified, and I’ve heard that some of them are struggling to get them to eat, to drink. They used to drink from rabbit water bottles in cages in a medical facility,” said Michelle Reichler, Board of Directors at Saving Sage.
On Friday evening, workers bathed them and tested them for heartworm. Officials said the dogs will be spayed, fully vaccinated, and microchipped.
“The goal is for most of them, if not all, to get into foster homes where they can start learning how to be a dog,” said Reichler.
Rescue workers said the dogs will be named after humane brands that do not test products on animals.
“I believe that these dogs came from a testing facility, and a lot of these facilities are just testing on dogs. To make sure that the product is safe, but there are plenty of brands out there that do no testing whatsoever on animals,” said Reichler.
Volunteer Colin Fitzgerald said the dogs are very lovely, despite their difficult pasts.
“I just want them to go somewhere where they’re going to be happy and stuff. They obviously are going to need a lot of work and what have you, but they’re sweet. This one’s super sweet,” he said while carrying one of the beagles.
He has been volunteering at Saving Sage since February and rescues himself. Now, he hopes these animals find a forever home.
“They’re going to be where they need to be,” he said.
Reichler said adoption and fostering efforts are critical to saving these animals.
“The more we promote adoption, the more that we save lives and change lives every single day,” she said.
As for the rescued beagles, volunteers said their future now looks far different from the life they once knew.
“This is just the next big thing we’re a part of that will absolutely turn an animal’s life on its head, and they will get to live out their lives as pets and as part of somebody’s family,” said Reichler.
For more information on Saving Sage Rescue, click here.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.