SCARLETT

Her story - as told by her human keepers, Janie & Phil Green

Scarlett was born into a life of captivity. She was a test subject in a cruel toxicology laboratory in Hungary. She was separated early from her mother and subject to brutal training - quickly learning that 'the less I move, the less I hurt' - to condition her for life in the laboratory.

​Beagles are the preferred breed of dog for toxicology tests, used because of their smallish size, gentleness, and forgiving nature. A toxicology test involves the administering (usually through a tube forcibly inserted through the mouth and into the stomach) of toxic chemicals or drugs, sometimes in lethal doses. The dogs are then left to suffer many hours of pain and discomfort (including vomiting and internal bleeding) in bare metabolic cages. They do not receive anaesthetic, pain relief, or palliative care. This procedure is repeated for typically 90 days, following which they would be euthanised, their organs dissected for analysis, and their bodies thrown in the trash or incinerated. Sometimes the beagles are recycled, and they would go on to endure further rounds of painful 90-day tests.

​This was the first two years of Scarlett's life; an unloved, painful life in the laboratory. Then Beagle Freedom Project intervened and negotiated her freedom, along with that of six other beagles, over a period of many months (laboratories simply don't 'hand over' beagles when asked). The seven beagles - five girls and two boys - were flown to the UK for adoption and became known as the 'Bond Beagles' (after the fictional British spy, James Bond).

​Less than 4% of laboratory beagles make it out alive, and the Bond Beagles are amongst the lucky ones. Even luckier were the people that adopted them!

​We adopted Scarlett in January 2017. She was small, underweight (laboratory beagles are fed just barely enough to keep them alive), timid, and with many fears and serious Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She never uttered a sound, and we feared the laboratory had cut her vocal cords - a despicable practice so laboratory workers don't have to endure the cries of terrified, distressed beagles.

​We set out to fill Scarlett's life with wonderful experiences every day, so the terrible memories of her former life in the laboratory would fade. Then one day, in a moment of excitement, she barked! And the next day, she Aroo'd (bayed) at a fox! Her vocal cords were intact, and she had found her beautiful voice!

​Beagles are normally highly food motivated, yet paradoxically, Scarlett isn't. She will eat just enough - and no more - to satisfy her appetite. She also insists on being hand fed most days. We believe this is due to her treatment in the laboratory; having a tube forced down her throat for months at a time would have resulted in damage and scar tissue to her oesophagus, making eating a little uncomfortable - maybe even sore - for her. Hand feeding reassures her that she has our permission to eat, it gives her comfort, and makes her feel safe.

​The lack of food motivation has made training a challenge as we can't reward her with food. She is however toy motivated and has a large selection of toys which she likes to rearrange in different parts of the house. Through her love of toys, we succeeded in getting her through her Kennel Club Bronze Award under the Good Citizen Dog Scheme. This was an amazing achievement for an ex-laboratory beagle that is not food motivated.

In 2018, Scarlett made her debut as Beagle Ambassador for the science-based campaign For Life on Earth (FLOE). This kicked off with a special photo shoot with the one and only Ricky Gervais (an ardent supporter of FLOE), and FLOE's beloved patron, Peter Egan. The most extraordinary thing happened when Scarlett met Ricky and Peter. Normally Scarlett fights hard when people she doesn't know try to hold her and get too close, but on day one of her first photo shoot, right from the go it was as if she knew something very special was happening. She was calm and happy to be held, and enjoyed meeting these two great animal heroes, who she seemed to know were doing something very important to help all laboratory animals.

​Pictures from the photoshoot were used to bring Scarlett's story to life in an article published in the March 2018 edition of 'K9 Magazine'.

​Later that year Scarlett was the star of the show at mummy and daddy's wedding. She was the perfect little flower girl. The day after that she discovered the fun of running across a sandy beach and of the tide gently lapping over her paws. Then in September 2018 Scarlett was named 'Inspirational Animal of the Year' at the Daily Mirror sponsored Animal Hero awards in London which was followed up with radio interviews (Woof!) on the BBC.

​Scarlett has now been a 'freagle' (free beagle) for longer than she was a laboratory test subject. And what a long way she has come. She has found her voice. She has found her personality, and what a cheeky, feisty, brave, indomitable, and infinitely loving personality she is. She still has some ingrained behaviours from her laboratory training (e.g., she crouches down submissively when her harness & collar are put on for walkies), but she is none the less a confident, happy freagle who continually surprises us with new aspects to her personality.

​Scarlett will happily attend events in support of lab animals. It's almost as if she knows she is helping her siblings and cousins in the laboratory and will happily do her bit to be playful and pose for the cameras. We always put her well-being first however and each event is carefully planned to make sure her every need is catered for, and that she is always kept safe and happy.