Charlotte-Envigo Survivor

She had no name.

Identified only by a tattoo on her ear, she was destined for a life sequestered to a cage, surrounded by relentless barking, standing on wire and her own filth. Though it’s hard to tell if her fate as a breeding dog was better than those of the puppies that would be sold to labs for experimentation, forcefully fed chemicals, among other atrocious acts, then euthanized when they were no longer useful, if they survived to that point.

She was an Envigo Beagle. One of 4,000 rescued when the company shut down last summer after dozens of violations came to light. It was one of the largest animal rescue operations in history. A massive undertaking that left the public appalled and shocked to find this was even happening. Dogs? Beagles? You have GOT to be kidding me!? These were the words out of my mouth when I found out about dog experimentation.

Unfortunately, it still happens and there are still labs, and breeding facilities, specifically for this. Beagles are the breed of choice, due to their forgiving nature, making this even more despicable.

I have a Beagle. And I couldn’t let this go. After finding a photography project showcasing humanitarian efforts for lesser known animal welfare issues, I reached out to Dane4Dogs to see if they knew of any local families who happened to have a lab Beagle. There was, and they just so happened to have an Envigo Beagle.

Now lovingly named “Charlotte”, we met up on a chilly winter morning to document her story. Though a typical Beagle, obsessed with food and sniffing, she also had a stoic demeanor about her. She has seen things that any normal person would never want to know about. She was young, but Charlotte had one litter while living in the Envigo facility.

Our session was quick. A majority of the time Charlotte was bouncing around the snow, sniffing anything she could, but stopping once in awhile to stare off into the distance, and I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. Does she remember?

Honestly, I hope not.