Beagle rescued from a lab finally starts to show his bubbly personality, foster shares footage of his glow up: ‘He finally feels safe enough to be himself!’

Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor

May 18, 2026 12:15 PM EDT

How are the beagles who were rescued from an animal testing lab doing?

It seems they are thriving in their new homes. This one in particular has a foster mom who is sharing his glow-up story, and it's warming the hearts of dog advocates everywhere. He went from scared and confused to happy and silly. His inner puppy is shining through now, and you can see just how loving and silly this once-terrified pup actually is. If this isn't an inspirational story of strength, healing, and love, then I don't know what is!

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Big Dog Ranch Rescue recently rescued 1,500 Beagles from Ridglan Farms, a commercial beagle breeding facility that supplies beagles to animal testing laboratories in Wisconsin. These freed creatures knew nothing but a cage and loneliness. The lab has had several gorilla attempts from animal activists to rescue these pups, one attempt that actually freed 30 of them. But most of the time, this lab was getting away with it. However, after the rush of activists making the lab's testing subjects viral, the rescue stepped in to strike a deal. They purchased the dogs, every single one of them, from the lab and immediately had fosters and adopters ready for them. The fosters and new adopters with the pups now are showing them all the love and care that they have always deserved.
This one, now named Daffy, is showing the world how resilient you can be. Because even after all of the hardships this pup has been put through, he is able to grow and happily be himself again.
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“Day 1 with my Ridglan beagle. This little guy has been through SO much, but is absolutely sweet as can be.”
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“Officially introducing Daffy, named after my mom’s beagles that she had growing up (Daphne + Patty). He’s so incredibly brave.”
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“He finally feels safe enough to be himself!”
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Seeing Daffy, this rescued Beagle blossom and glow-up is extremely heartwarming. We could all learn a lesson from these dogs. Though they were caged and stressed for the entire start of their lives, that could never stop them from growing and having a better future. That takes real bravery and these pups have it! We hope they are all thriving in their new happy homes. You can help these Beagles out here by donating, fostering, or adopting!
You go, Daffy!
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