Free the Beagles
Every year, tens of thousands of beagles are bred in factory conditions, shipped to laboratories, subjected to toxicology testing, and killed. This is the most comprehensive public resource on how it works, who profits, what the law allows, and what is being done to end it.
By the Numbers
42,880
dogs in US labs
FY2024
USDA APHIS
97.3%
are beagles
UK breed data (only country tracking)
UK Home Office
~60,000
peak US dogs/year
down from 211,000 in 1979
USDA time series
410
in unrelieved pain
Column E, FY2024 — up 20% since 2022
USDA APHIS
1–3 yrs
lab beagle lifespan
Normal: 12–15 years
95%+
killed after studies
Regulatory data requires necropsy
$1,100
per dog (acquisition)
<0.2% of total study cost
Inotiv SEC filings
~150
beagles per drug program
over 3-year development
Industry analysis
Two Facilities Down, One to Go
The two largest AWA enforcement actions in history both targeted beagle breeders. Both required years of activist investigation before regulators acted. Both resulted in facility closures. Neither was initiated by the USDA.
Browse
Full site index →134 pages
The Science Overview →Biology, procedures, lifecycle, alternatives, and the beagle as a laboratory animal
OverviewThe Laboratory Beagle— Overview — why this breedHistory in ResearchBreeds & VarietiesThe Purpose-Bred BeaglePhysiologyPsychology in CaptivityBirth to DeathIdentity & DevocalizationProcedures— Overview + oral gavage diagramToxicology— 28-day, 90-day, chronic, inhalationSafety Pharmacology— Cardiovascular telemetry + diagramADME / PharmacokineticsDevice TestingNewer Areas— Gene therapy, oncology, military, imagingStudy Design— Dose groups, endpoints, why 95% killedBirth to Death— 8-stage lifecycleInside the Laboratory— What a beagle actually experiencesA Day in the Life— 7-chapter narrative timelineThe Language of the Lab— 40+ euphemism glossaryStudy Types— Complete taxonomy with costsGlobal Comparison— Country-by-country regulatory mapAlternatives & Reform— Organ-on-chip, CiPA, FDA pathwayNIH Beagle Lab— May 2025 closure, congressional pressureData & VisualizationsEvidence Hub— 26 photos, 2 videos, external archives