Violet DiGiovanni had a special reason to be among those gathered Tuesday morning to pick up one of 91 beagle puppies being readied for new homes by volunteers and staff at Anderson Humane animal shelter in South Elgin.
“I saw the story (about the dogs being rescued) and so did my four children, whom I fostered and then adopted. They asked me, ‘Can you save one, like you saved us?'” DiGiovanni said.
The dogs are from the 4,000 beagles recently rescued from Envigo, a breeding and research facility in Cumberland, Virginia, where the U.S. Department of Agriculture discovered myriad federal violations that resulted in the animals dying or being sick, injured or malnourished.
Working with the Humane Society of the United States, authorities have been placing the dogs with shelters across the country, including Anderson, so they can be adopted.
Dean Daubert, Anderson Humane’s chief operations officer, said he and six staff members and volunteers drove to Virginia Monday to pick up the dogs, all male, from Humane Society and U.S. Marshals Service employees.
“The location was hard to find, even with GPS,” Daubert said.
Anderson plans to have the puppies neutered but, with their shelter at capacity, wanted to get them into homes before scheduling the procedure to be done, he said.
With the caravan arriving back in South Elgin after midnight, staff and volunteers worked overnight to get the the animals evaluated and vaccinated so they could be picked up Tuesday morning, Daubert said.
More than 120 people volunteered to either adopt or foster the dogs.
The more skittish among the lot were placed with people experienced in raising or fostering dogs. Many were going to be staying with Anderson Humane staff and volunteers so they could be to prepared for adoption.
Among those planning to serve as foster volunteers were Tanya Moore and her daughter, Teagan, who helped clean crates and prepared food for other volunteers before taking “Pastrami” home with them.
If the gentle puppy is anything like Moore’s own beagle, who loves long walks and is a “good family dog,” 8-month-old Pastrami will make an ideal pet for some family, she said.
“He’s sweet,” Moore said. “He’s really happy to have human attention. He’s wagging his tail, licking our face.”
Moore said she thinks Pastrami had never been on grass before he was rescued. When she placed him on the lawn, he initially stood still and then started to lift his legs, as if trying to climb over the strands.
“It wasn’t afraid, just a little timid,” she said.
Juliann Carlson, the shelter’s social media specialist, planned to take a beagle home to foster as well.
“It will be great to give one of these beagles a new lease on life and the opportunity to be a dog,” Carlson said.
Most of the rescues from Envigo are puppies and were being kept 30 to 40 in a kennel, Carlson and Daubert said. All less than a year old, they had never been outdoors, on grass or on a leash. Until their trip to South Elgin, they had never been in a moving vehicle.
Greg and Lynda Ives, of Crystal Lake, said the dog they drove home Tuesday was doing well so far.
“He is sleeping, and he hasn’t barked yet,” Greg Ives said. “We gave him a bath when we first got home. I can’t imagine he slept much in the last 12 to 24 hours. He’s still trying to figure things out, and is adjusting OK with our black lab, Bucky.”
The couple hope to adopt the puppy and decided to change his name from T-Bone to Gary.
“I always wanted to have a dog with a guy’s name. Also, Gary is SpongeBob’s pet snail,” Ives said.
“We have grandchildren,” Lynda Ives added.
DiGiovanni also she changed her beagle’s name from Bacon to Bruno, after the “Encanto” character. At her Elgin home, joined by her four kids and two older dogs, things were going well on their journey toward adoption.
“He’s met the family and just loves the back yard. He keeps going to the door to go out. He’s just the sweetest,” DiGiovanni said.
baiduhai reporter Jake Sheridan contributed.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
