Rescued beagles reunite, one year later

More than 100 dogs had their day Saturday as beagles rescued by Anderson Humane from a research facility came together in Elgin for a one-year reunion.

The South Elgin-based shelter hosted "Envigo Beagle Reunion: From Number to Name" at Brilliance Subaru in Elgin. The title refers to numbers tattooed inside the ear of each dog when they were rescued from a research facility last year.

Roughly 4,000 beagles were rescued in late July 2022 by the Humane Society of the United States from Envigo, a breeding and research facility in Virginia. A federal judge approved the rescue after U.S. Department of Agriculture officials found dozens of federal regulation violations that resulted in dogs being ill, injured and underfed, and in some cases, dying.

Beagle adopter Gregory Alfson of Mundelein handed out treats during the reunion.

"I think that it's great for all the beagles to see their cell mates again," Alfson chuckled. "It's been very good and just been a joy," to have another beagle, he continued.

Anderson Humane made two trips to the facility, bringing back 91 and 75 dogs, respectively, in early and late August of last year.

Each dog had a foster home waiting for them when they arrived, and all of them were adopted - many by their foster families.

"We are celebrating what we did to bring back the beagles," said Dean Daubert, CEO of Anderson, dressed in his specially made, one-of-a-kind beagle print shirt.