Lab to Leash Program

The Beagle Rescue, Inc’s lab to leash program is a program designed to help dogs retiring from research facilities find new loving homes. Beagles are used as search-and-sniff dogs for the U.S. Customs and Boarder Patrol, as members of the “Beagle Brigade” to sniff out illegal produce for U.S. Department of Agriculture and even work as bedbug-sniffing dogs. Additionally, Beagles are also used in the bio-medical research community for the study of various diseases such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and even surgical procedures such as kidney transplant models.

The lab to leash program began back in 2005 when founders Carolyn Sterner and Pattie Scully were presented with the opportunity to assist a research facility with the first-of-its kind release and adoption of their retiring research beagles. The lab was finishing a study and had some wonderful adoptable dogs available, and euthanizing these animals was not something this lab wanted for the dogs. The lab was wary of outside organizations to become involved with inner workings of the research facility, while the general public had misconceptions of how these dogs were treated and whether these dogs would even make good pets. Pattie and Carolyn worked with the research facility and were able to successfully place these initial 11 beagles in loving homes.

This exchange created an effort to change views of both the research labs and the public, and now have relationships with over 14 research facilities and over 215 lab retirees. To learn more about the Lab to Leash Division of the Beagle Rescue League make sure to check out their official site.