Beagle Freedom Project

Rescue & legislationFounded 2010 · Los Angeles, California

Overview

The Beagle Freedom Project (BFP) is an animal rescue and advocacy organization dedicated specifically to freeing animals from laboratory testing and finding them homes. Founded in 2010 by Shannon Keith, BFP pioneered the concept of “beagle freedom laws” — state legislation requiring laboratories to offer dogs and cats for adoption after studies rather than euthanizing them.

BFP operates both a direct rescue/rehoming program and a legislative advocacy arm. The organization has become synonymous with the intersection of lab animal rescue and state-level legislative reform, creating a template that has been adopted across 17 states.

Beagle-Specific Work

Key Finding

BFP is the most beagle-focused organization in the advocacy ecosystem. Beagles are the organization's primary focus — not a subset of broader work. The name itself reflects this specialization.

Beagle Freedom Laws (17 states)

BFP's signature achievement. Starting with Minnesota in 2014, these state laws require research facilities to offer dogs and cats for adoption after studies are complete, rather than defaulting to euthanasia. States include: CA, CT, DE, IL, MD, MA, MN, NV, NY, OR, RI, VA, WA, and others. The laws don't reduce the number of animals used — but they create a post-study adoption pathway and increase public visibility of lab animal use.

Beagle Freedom Laws wiki article →

Direct Rescue & Rehoming

BFP coordinates the rescue and rehoming of beagles and other animals released from laboratories. Dogs are placed with foster families and adoptive homes, often requiring behavioral rehabilitation — many lab beagles have never walked on grass, climbed stairs, or experienced life outside a kennel.

Identity Campaigns

BFP uses “identity campaigns” — giving individual rescued beagles names and stories to personalize the abstract statistics of laboratory animal use. This narrative strategy has been effective in building public support for legislative reform.

Broader Scope

While the name says “beagle,” BFP also rescues and rehomes cats, rabbits, and other species used in laboratories. The organization has expanded into broader anti-testing advocacy including support for the FDA Modernization Act and other federal legislation. However, beagles remain the primary focus and the emotional center of the organization's public messaging.