Humane Society of Broward overwhelmed by adoption applications for rescued beagles
FORT LAUDERDALE - Lots of South Floridians are ready to open their hearts and homes after four dozen rescued dogs arrived at the Humane Society of Broward County.
The 48 beagles were removed from a mass breeding facility in Virginia which was riddled with animal welfare concerns.
"They are cute and adorable but these are dogs who were bred to be sold to other labs where experiments would've been done," said Cherie Wachter, the shelter's VP of Marketing.
The shelter has more than enough room to house all the dogs while they wait for their forever homes, they're one of the fortunate ones not dealing with an overflow problem.
Staff veterinarians have made their rounds to all of the new faces and say, overall, they are healthy and sweet. But there are a few issues.
"We are seeing a lot of them are very nervous, they may not have been well socialized, a lot of them have a lot dental disease," said staff vet Cynthia Rogers.
Wachter said they have received more than a thousand applications for the dogs, and no further applications are being accepted. She said they are reviewing the applications and appointments are being set up for next week.
"The families who are going to adopt them are going to need to have the patience to train these pups. Even the adults, they have lived their adult lives in a cage, they don't know what it's like to walk on grass, they don't know what a TV is, the sounds of a TV and a home. The families that take them home need patience," she said.
"Given that the adults have probably never been outside, you might have some issues with potty training. If you have another dog at home that would probably be beneficial, hopefully, they will follow the lead," she added.
Those not selected to adopt a beagle are encouraged to check out the other dogs who are also in need of a place to call home.
The shelter is moving to an "adoption by appointment only" process all next week.
