PETA Celebrates: DOJ Removes Suffering Dogs From Envigo

For Immediate Release:
May 19, 2022

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Cumberland, Va. –

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Office of Inspector General have just removed at least 145 dogs found in “acute distress” from Envigo’s beagle-breeding facility in Cumberland County, Virginia, pursuant to a federal search warrant. The DOJ has also filed a 40-page complaint asking a federal court to permanently enjoin Envigo from violating the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The moves follow USDA citations for more than 70 violations of the federal AWA since July 2021. Nearly 50 of the citations came in inspections prompted by a PETA exposé revealing hundreds of dead puppies and workers with no veterinary credentials injecting euthanasia drugs directly into puppies’ hearts without sedation—causing them immense pain—among other abuses.

Below, please find a statement from PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch:

Kudos to federal officials for finally taking the decisive action PETA has been calling for and getting dogs out of Envigo’s barren, cacophonous kennels, where workers sprayed them with high-pressure hoses and deprived them of food and veterinary care. PETA finds suffering like this every time we crack open an operation like Envigo, and this needs to be the beginning of the end for this hideous beagle-breeding mill.

For more information on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.