Families travel from California, Illinois to adopt beagle puppies at Wisconsin Humane Society
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Families traveled from all over Tuesday to adopt one of eight beagle puppies available for adoption at the Wisconsin Humane Society.
"Last night we saw they were up on the website," Chrisdo Fan said.
Dozens of people lined up outside the Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee to try and adopt just one of the puppies. Families had to log on to an online waitlist at 11 a.m. The first eight people who were quick enough to fill out the form got dibs on a pup.
"We were like super nervous and now we're super happy," Christine Fan said.
These beagle pups were rescued from the Envigo mass breeding facility in Virginia last month where the intent was to sell them to labs for experimentation. Four-thousand beagles were rescued, and the Wisconsin Humane Society took in 62 of them.
"It's heartbreaking. You hear about the horrific conditions these puppies were in, their mothers weren't being fed properly," Jeff Spangler said.
Jeff and Michelle Spangler are one of the lucky families taking home a dog. They traveled from Janesville, Wisconsin.
"We got Dorothy. She is all ears. She is beautiful. That's the one we were hoping for," Jeff Spangler said.
Angela Speed, with the Wisconsin Humane Society, said this was the busiest the humane society has been in years. More than 150 signed up with just eight puppies available. All puppies were spoken for within minutes.
"In an attempt, not even a promise, in hopes they can bring home one of these beagle puppies," Speed said. "We have just been flooded with inquires. Literally hundreds of emails and calls every day. We haven't been able to get back to everybody."
Chrisdo and Christine Fan are twin sisters who came in from California this morning.
"We booked a one-way flight to Milwaukee. Landed at 2 a.m. and got to the facility here at 4 a.m.," they said.
The two were both quick enough to get two of the eight spots online. They are walking away with two puppies.
"We got Charlotte and Joy," Christine said.
The two said they just recently lost a beagle puppy to juvenile cancer that was likely from the same bloodline as these puppies.
"We're pretty sure her dog mom was bred at Envigo," Chrisdo said. "That's why we're doing all of this. It was like extremely important for us to come out here and get a relative that was related to our dog and sort of in her memory. And they look exactly like her. That's why we're willing to do whatever it takes."
There are still dozens of these beagle puppies in foster homes. For information on when they will become available, check the Wisconsin Humane Society's website.
Published: 9:28 a.m. on Aug. 9, 2022
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Eight adorable beagles are ready for adoption at the Wisconsin Humane Society.
The pups -- named Charlotte, Dorothy, Emma Rose, Freddie, Louie, Jetta, Jem, and Joy -- are available at WHS Milwaukee Campus.
The beagles were welcomed to Wisconsin as part of a group of dogs removed from a mass-breeding facility in Virginia. The facility is accused of breeding dogs with the intention of selling them to laboratories for animal experimentation.
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