RICHMOND, Va. – Some of the beagles rescued from horrific conditions at a Cumberland County dog breeding facility were reunited with their littermates in Richmond Saturday.
Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) hosted an Envigobeagle reunion at River City Roll for area families who adopted the pups.
The shelter took in 84 of the more than 4,000 Envigo beagles that were removed after the facility was forced to close.
PHOTOS: 400+ beagles rescued from Virginia breeding facility
Many of the dogs were in rough shape, physically and socially, after living in inhumane conditions, according to animal welfare workers.
That is why Christie Chipps-Peters, RACC’s director, called this event "so amazing."
“The world of animal welfare is sometimes really ugly and hard and sad,” Chipps-Peters said. “Things like this sort of reignite the passion for humanity a bit. I think everyone here is just so happy to be part of the bigger picture, and they're so grateful to save the life of a dog in need. It's so nice to have us all in one room celebrating that feeling.”
Chipps-Peters said one element that had everyone "over-the-top excited" was the name tags they made so that the pups could reunited with their littermates and mothers.
"When you walked in, you got a name tag for that specific litter. So you could find your dog's littermates or mother. The bulk of animals that we took from that situation was moms and litters," Chipps-Peters said. "And so it was really nice today for them to reunite and see their sisters in their moms and their brothers. And for those adoptive families to meet each other, so it's a win all the way around."
Chipps-Peters said she would love to see a nationwide event like the one in Richmond since the Envigo beagles were adopted across the country. In fact, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle even took in one of the dogs.
FULL INTERVIEW: Envigo beagle reunion is 'so amazing,' Richmond shelter director says
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