(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Two beagles that were saved from a breeding mill that supplies puppies to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for cruel and inhumane medical experiments, will be featured in this weekend’s Puppy Bowl, Animal Planet’s annual pre-game tradition on Super Bowl Sunday.
The show will air on Animal Planet on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m.
The puppies, named Allison and Briscoe, were a few of the many beagles removed from the breeding facility after the company, Envigo, was investigated for animal-welfare violations. They are now both happily adopted and living out their days in Norfolk, Virginia.
2 Beagles that were rescued from VA breading facility — who sold beagle pups to Dr.Fauci NIH for cruel & barbaric experiments — will compete in this year #PuppyBowl
Allison was only 4wks old when her mom & her 6 siblings were rescued & Briscoe was part of a group of 17 rescued pic.twitter.com/4XcdPSd8TD
— Mona Salama (@MonaSalama_) February 7, 2023
According to conservative blogger Jordan Schachtel, Envigo breeds dogs for experiments performed by private companies and government institutions, and it is one of the biggest suppliers of NIAID, the agency long overseen by retired COVID czar Anthony Fauci.
A watchdog institution, the White Coat Waste Project, found that when Fauci was in power, NIAID shelled out millions of dollars on beagles for experiments.
“De-barking beagles, poisoning puppies and infesting dogs with flies and ticks in gruesome experiments with our tax dollars is a national disgrace that’s uniting Americans,” WCWP said.
“They also locked beagles alone in cages in the desert overnight for nine consecutive nights to use them as bait to attract infectious sand flies,” WCWP added.
Fauci also granted hundreds of thousands of dollars to a lab in Tunisia which force-fed dogs drugs for weeks, then killed and dissected them.
After the story broke, the dog breeding facilities were subject to a round of congressional investigations, which revealed more than 70 animal welfare violations.
NIAID argued that it was necessary to experiment on puppies to provide integral research to the Food and Drug Administration. FDA guidelines do not mandate any testing on dogs.
After intense private pressure, Envigo shut its Cumberland facility down and many of the 4,000 freed puppies “have found really great homes,” according to Mandi Kowaleski of the Virginia Beach SPCA.
Once destined for a miserable life in animal experimentation, Briscoe the beagle is now a television star living a pampered life in Norfolk. 🐾
The pup is 1 of 2 dogs from the Virginia Beach SPCA set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl.https://t.co/sV6eIKbr1a
— The Virginian-Pilot (@virginianpilot) January 27, 2023
