Rescue Group Shuts Down Animal Testing Lab and Plans to Make It a Sanctuary for Former Lab Pets

• The Beagle Freedom Project closed an animal testing facility in Oklahoma in February and bought the property surrounding the lab
• The animal welfare organization plans to turn the 30-acre property into a sanctuary and adoption center for pets rescued from animal testing
• More than 200 pets used in testing at the Oklahoma facility are now in the care of the Beagle Freedom Project and are looking for forever homes

More than 200 cats and dogs get a new start in a familiar place.

In February, the Beagle Freedom Project (BFP)—an animal welfare organization dedicated to saving laboratory animals and ending animal testing—shut down a private facility in Nowata, Oklahoma, that conducted tests on cats and dogs for the flea and tick drug industry.

The Beagle Freedom Project has taken possession of the 30-acre former laboratory and the more than 200 animals remaining on the premises. The organization is now turning the property into Freedom Fields, a sanctuary and adoption center for the facility’s former lab animals and future pets rescued from animal testing.

For Shannon Keith, who founded the Beagle Freedom Project in 2010, Freedom Fields is a success story that was hard to imagine 13 years ago.

When Keith started BFP, “the status quo was that facilities would usually kill the animals at the end of the testing,” she tells PEOPLE. Through the work of the Beagle Freedom Project, hundreds of lab animals that should have died have been saved and adopted into loving families. The organization has also passed its “signature legislation,” the Beagle Freedom Bill, in 13 states and is working on federal legislation.

Shannon Keith of the Beagle Freedom Project with a beagle rescued after animal testing.

Beagle Freedom Project

“What it does is the animals are released after the testing is done. So instead of killing them, they release them to organizations like ours, so they have a second chance at life,” Keith explains.

Keith, an animal rights attorney, doesn’t just rely on legislation to save animals used in product testing. Every year he writes a letter to all operating animal testing facilities in the United States, asking them to release their animals to the Beagle Freedom Project.

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Although Keith says it’s “very rare” that he gets a response, one of these letters led the Beagle Freedom Project to the property that would eventually become Freedom Fields.

“This facility in Oklahoma, the owner of it finally called me, and he said, ‘Hey, I got your letter. I actually got it a few years ago.’ And he said, ‘I neglected your letter,'” says Keith.

Cats inside a former animal testing facility in Oklahoma after it was closed by the Beagle Freedom Project.

Beagle Freedom Project

What changed the facility owner’s mind were the USDA citations. The agency encouraged the owner to contact the Beagle Freedom Project to surrender the dogs and help clarify some of the allegations.

“To his credit, he called us and we started working with him in 2021. And so we started going there, and whenever he was done with dogs and cats, we’d take them in and adopt them,” shares Keith.

This relationship allowed Keith to close the test facility and purchase the property from the owner when she felt the time was right.

Two beagles in an outdoor enclosure at a former animal testing facility closed by the Beagle Freedom Project.

Beagle Freedom Project

“I suggested that he close his company and buy the land from him, not the company, but the land. It’s a beautiful 30 acres. We’d turn it into a sanctuary and he’d be done with it. And I literally thought he was going to laugh at me over the phone,” Keith recalls of the conversation.

To her surprise, the owner was ready to retire and agreed to the Beagle Freedom Project’s proposal.

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“Part of our negotiation was that he would give up his USDA license and never test on animals again. We had no part in paying for the job; the job was done. We bought the property and took all the animals he would put into care. So we got more of 200 dogs and cats. He agreed and we officially took custody of everyone and the land on February 1,” explains Keith.

The property surrounding the former animal testing facility is closed by the Beagle Freedom Project.

Beagle Freedom Project

After the sale, the Beagle Freedom Project began working to make Freedom Fields a reality. Currently, a BFP employee lives on the property with ex-lab animals that have yet to be adopted.

The animals came into the Beagle Freedom Project’s care with burns on their bodies and health problems from exposure to toxic substances used in flea and tick drug testing — and they also came ready to be loved. More than 30 animals from the Oklahoma testing lab have already found forever homes, and more are still looking for their families.

“Our goal is to get them all adopted. In the meantime, they’re living there and we’re in the process of renovating and making it a wonderful place for them until they’re adopted,” says Keith.

A former lab beagle with her newborn puppies, who are now in the care of the Beagle Freedom Project.

Beagle Freedom Project

Plans to convert the former testing facility into Freedom Fields include adding a rehabilitation center for animals recovering from abuse suffered during testing and a senior center for the many elderly pets rescued from animal testing.

“Most of the dogs used in the testing were born there, so they’ve been there all their lives, and they have arthritis, cataracts and all kinds of diseases. They need teeth pulled. They’re in pain. So we’re building a senior center so they can have orthopedic beds, ramps and heating , all kinds of comforts that they should have until they’re adopted,” Keith explains.

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Freedom Fields won’t just be for pets. Keith says BFP plans to add an education center to the sanctuary “where people can meet survivors of animal testing, learn about animal testing and learn how to properly care for and be kind to animals.”

A cat used in testing at a facility in Oklahoma that was closed by the Beagle Freedom Project.

Beagle Freedom Project

“It’s one thing to hear me talk about animal testing, but when you meet a survivor in person and look them in the eye, it’s something that really melts your heart and makes you want to do something impressive,” she adds.

Keith hopes news of Freedom Fields will inspire animal lovers to learn more about the grim reality of animal testing.

“I just wish people knew and were aware of the products they use, not only for themselves but also for their beloved animals, who are family members,” she says.

To help with this goal, BFP has developed the free Cruelty Cutter app, which allows users to scan a product’s barcode and find out if animal testing was used to make the product.

To learn more about the Beagle Freedom Project, visit the organization’s website.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education