Beagles are the breed most used for testing, although the Beagle Freedom Project, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit, rescues all animals.
John Riner — the owner of Animal Health Innovations, a dog and cat testing center in Nowata, Oklahoma — had been receiving Keith’s letters for years, but in 2021, he responded to Keith for the first time.
As a contract researcher for flea and tick products, Riner euthanized lab animals — a common industry practice — if they had health problems or couldn’t find homes after testing. Riner said he kept the tested animals alive as long as he could.
He began donating the dogs and cats he no longer needed to the Beagle Freedom Project for research purposes, after an inspector from the Department of Agriculture raised concerns about the poor condition of some of Riner’s senior dogs.
“I did a little soul searching and I didn’t want to euthanize any dog,” Riner, 69, said. “It’s just hard to find homes for that many dogs.”
Riner had about 150 dogs on his property at one time and he would reuse them for experiments rather than euthanize them, he said. When the dogs weren’t participating in a study, which typically lasted between 60 and 90 days, he kept them outside.
“Dogs are designed to withstand bad weather,” he said. “Dogs were not meant to live with man; man created this.
He said he believes animal testing is important to ensure products are safe and effective.
“Yes, the dogs feel some slight discomfort,” Riner said. “We do not mistreat animals.”
Keith and his team were excited to hear Riner.
“We started doing rescues at his facilities in Oklahoma,” Keith said. “When there are groups of dogs and cats, we will go there and pick them up and place them in homes.”
Keith said since starting her organization, she has rescued about 3,400 animals, including those at the Riner facility.
“Even though we are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to using animals in research, I was happy that they could do it and give these dogs some quality of life towards the end,” Riner said.
After visiting Riner’s facility several times, Keith took note of his 30-acre property, which has several ponds and extensive fields.
“It’s a beautiful field,” Keith said.
She thought it would be the perfect place for an animal sanctuary. A few months ago, she presented the idea to Riner.
“I thought he was going to make fun of me on the phone,” Keith said.
To her surprise, he told her he would think about it, as he hoped to retire. He returned with an offer to sell her his business as well as his land, which she refused. She offered to buy the property – not the business – and after some negotiation, he agreed.
As part of the agreement, Riner relinquished his contract research license and agreed to no longer conduct animal testing. He also entrusted Keith with the care of the more than 200 cats and dogs on his property.
“I was ready to retire, and the market itself kind of took a downturn post-Covid,” Riner said.
Additionally, he added, “I appreciate Beagle Freedom for what they do. »
The sale was finalized on February 8 and the testing facilities were closed. Since then, Keith and his team have transformed the property – which they called Freedom Fields – into a rehabilitation site for former laboratory animals, many of whom are frightened and anxious and suffer from health problems including seizures, arthritis and cataracts.
“They are very afraid of any noise they have never heard before. Their very first instinct is to run,” Keith said, adding that each dog has a GPS tracker on their collar in case they run away.
Keith’s plan is to open a senior dog center on the property, with orthopedic beds, water treadmills and ramps to help older pups who have spent their lives as test subjects regain strength and learn socialization skills before being hosted.
“Our ultimate goal, of course, is to get them into homes, and in the meantime, they’ll live there in the most luxurious way possible,” Keith said.
She also plans to create a space reserved for cats, as well as an educational center.
“We want the public to come. We want to take them to meet the survivors and teach them about animal experimentation,” Keith said.
In addition to rescuing and rehoming laboratory animals, the Beagle Freedom Project also focuses on advocacy. His Beagle Freedom Bill – which requires labs to offer healthy dogs and cats for adoption once experiments are completed – has been passed in 13 states, including California, Maryland and Virginia. The organization is working to make the bill into federal law.
Beagle Freedom Project also created a free app called Cruelty Cutter, which helps consumers scan products to see if they have been tested on animals.
Since the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 was passed in December 2022 – allowing the use of alternatives to animal testing to study the safety and effectiveness of new drugs – Keith said she hopes the drug industry animal testing would continue to decline.
In the meantime, Freedom Fields will be a refuge for animals abused and traumatized in the laboratory, she said.
“It’s never been done,” Keith said. “No one has ever closed an animal testing center and turned it into a rehabilitation sanctuary.”
Renovations on the property are underway.
“We have a lot of work to do. We are a small nonprofit, our budget is small, but we have dedicated employees and volunteers,” Keith said, noting that his organization is primarily funded by individual donations. .
Emily Clayton, relief manager for the Beagle Freedom Project, moved to Nowata from Los Angeles in February to live on the property.
“It’s been amazing,” Clayton, 35, said. “They’re getting much better care than before, and we’re making such positive changes every day.”
About 127 dogs and cats have been sterilized, and volunteers are working to get all the animals healthy so they can find forever homes. To date, more than 40 animals are sheltered and 16 have been adopted.
“It’s the most rewarding thing ever,” Clayton said.
