WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — A Northern Virginia facility was recently fined $22 million for animal welfare violations. In the summer of 2022, 4,000 beagles were rescued from Envigo and dozens came to Hampton Roads.
According to the Department of Justice, Envigo—in Cumberland, Virginia— was breeding the dogs to sell for experiments.
One of those dogs, named Sage, was placed with a family in Williamsburg. She lived at Envigo in a cage for the first two years of her life.
Watch: Nearly 50 beagles from Envigo facility arrive at Williamsburg rescue, Virginia Beach SPCA
“Sage not only had to learn to live in a world with human beings, where she never heard a phone ring, she never heard a television, she never experienced anything that we took for granted, but she also had to learn to be a dog,” said her owner Claire Britcher.
In addition to the $22 million in fines, Envigo also has to pay $13.5 million to improve their facilities and support animal welfare organizations.
“There’s a little bit of poetic justice that the company that was so abusive to these dogs, now are going to have to pay the price,” said Senator Mark Warner. "This is an example that our justice system works and Envigo is being held accountable."
This is the largest settlement ever reached for animal welfare violations.
