Beagles are one of the most popular dog breeds for people looking for a pet. Most years, they rank among the top 10 breeds in America. It’s easy to see why: the American Kennel Club (AKC) describes beagles as “loyal” companions that are often “happy-go-lucky.” They get along well with kids and other dogs and are generally considered easygoing.

Sadly, that gentle temperament has made beagles a common choice for companies that conduct animal testing.

Rescued lab beagle gets a second chance and sees the sun for the first time

Luckily, there are plenty of people who want to save these beagles from a life spent behind bars in a lab.

Meracle Paws is one such organization. They specialize in rescuing senior dogs, which are in especially great need of love and care. It’s far easier to find homes for puppies and younger dogs. Senior rescues are often left behind in shelters and at rescue organizations.

But that doesn’t make the rescues any less meaningful. The team behind Meracle Paws recently took to Instagram to share a brief but emotionally overwhelming moment following a large release of dogs bred for research.

“We’ve carried 1000 Lab beagles out of that place [Ridglan Farms] into freedom. Today so many of them were seniors… dogs who spent their entire lives in cages breeding puppies for experiments and testing,” the caption read. “This sweet senior mama had never touched grass, breathed fresh air, or felt the sun on her face. Today I held her while she lifted her head to the sky and tasted sunshine with her little tongue for the very first time. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this moment for the rest of my life.”

The video is only a few seconds long, but the look on the sweet dog’s face says it all. This tiny moment was years in the making.

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Video goes viral, and commenters are extremely moved

Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin is a breeder that specializes in “purpose bred beagles for biomedical research.” For years, rescue groups lodged complaints and allegations of horrific animal cruelty against the facility.

Just recently, the long battle finally came to an end. Legal pressure and intense protests ultimately convinced the organization to release many of its dogs. KAAL-TV reports that more than 1,500 beagles were freed in the operation. Ridglan Farms, which has agreed to surrender its license to avoid prosecution, has denied mistreating the dogs.

Commenters on Meracle Paws’ post were overjoyed by the news:

“Breaks my heart for all these babies but especially when I see the older ones. So much hell for so long … thank you for giving them a chance to enjoy the life they always should have had”

“This vid of her smelling the air and face towards the sun is everything”

“I’ve lived a very long life and watching this sweet soul discover kindness for the first time brought tears to my eyes”

“can’t stop crying, this is so incredibly moving and beautiful..what joy and grace you have brought to this gentle soul!!”

The cruel irony of beagles is that their adorable, cuddly, and forgiving demeanor makes them prime targets for abuse.

The Beagle Freedom Project quotes one anonymous lab technician: “They won’t fight back. They let us do anything we want to them, that’s why we like beagles.”

An uncomfortable reality is that animal research is sometimes considered a necessary evil in scientific progress, particularly in developments that help us better understand human diseases or create medications that could ease people’s suffering.

The Ridglan Farms case reached the federal level, with both HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya getting involved. New York Rep. Nick Langworthy, who also advocated for the closure of Ridglan Farms, wrote in a letter: “This issue is not about opposing scientific progress; it is about ensuring that federally funded research reflects both ethical standards and scientific advancement.”

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The sweet senior beagle featured in Meracle Paws’ videos helps put a face to the cause. Watching her, and the others, touch grass and feel sunlight for the first time is heartbreaking, but more importantly, joyful and hopeful. It’s a cause well worth continuing to fight for so that more moments like this one can happen.

Many of these beagles from Ridglan Farms are still in need of help or homes. You can learn more about how to help or adopt them here.

A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a  gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing. 

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold. 

A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen. 

Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing. 

Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to  loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth. 

Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:

Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis 

Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community

Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or  in one of 60   countries where we work around the globe

Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door 

Shop or donate at your local Habitat ReStore

Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone. 

Visit habitat.org/open-door to learn more and get involved today. 

In 2022, eighty-one-year-old Harry Smith, who uses an electric wheelchair, was walking his beloved nine-year-old beagle mix, Sarah Jane, near a lake in Port St. Lucie, Florida, when the pleasant jaunt took a turn for the worse. Smith says that the left wheel of the chair “grabbed and spun me” and he wound up rolling down a grass embankment into the water. Smith can’t swim, could barely keep his head above the water, and without immediate help would have drowned.

Sarah Jane began to bark loudly, capturing the attention of Edward Suhling, 58, who was working on a trailer with Aby “Jacob” Chacko, 49. “Sensing his owner was in trouble, his dog began to bark loudly, which alerted two bystanders across the street,” the Port St. Lucie police department wrote in a Facebook post.

At first, Suhling thought the dog was being attacked by an alligator. Then he saw Smith’s head poking out of the water. Suhling and Chacko ran over to the pond, flagging down a police officer along the way.

Harry was out walking his dog, Sarah Jane, when his wheel got caught in the mulch, turning him around and down into the pond. Neighbors heard Sarah Jane barking and Harry yelling “HELP!” @PSLPolice were flagged down. They all helped him out, saving his life. @CBS12 pic.twitter.com/0s8fygh5zx— Andrew Lofholm (@AndrewLofholm) February 4, 2022

Harry was out walking his dog, Sarah Jane, when his wheel got caught in the mulch, turning him around and down into the pond. Neighbors heard Sarah Jane barking and Harry yelling “HELP!” @PSLPolice were flagged down. They all helped him out, saving his life. @CBS12 pic.twitter.com/0s8fygh5zx

Two strangers jumped in without hesitating

“As soon as I got here I saw the wheelchair and the dog and I recognized that’s Harry and I know he can’t walk,” Chacko said. Smith was in terror fighting for his life in the pond. “My legs don’t work,” he said. “I can’t push.”

“The dog was splashing in the water,” Suhling said. “So we both ran over here and I jumped in the water, and my buddy grabbed his arms and I grabbed his legs and we got him up on shore.”

After Smith was safely out of the water, the police officer administered medical attention and he was cleared to go home. Unfortunately, his wheelchair didn’t work, so the officer pushed him back to his home.

The Port St. Lucie Police Department later called Suhling, Chacko, and Sarah Jane heroes on its Facebook page. “We are thankful for Mr. Smith’s dog and the two bystanders that helped save his life!” the police department wrote on Facebook. “And as the saying remains true…A man’s best friend is his dog.

“She’s such a good dog,” Smith later said about Sarah Jane. “Everybody in this neighborhood loves her, they all look out for her.” After the pair made it home safely, Smith was sure to give his dog a treat. “I love her, always have, always will,” he........

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