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For the first time in their lives, many beagles rescued from Wisconsin’s controversial Ridglan Farms are learning how to be dogs.
After spending years in a breeding facility that supplied animals for laboratory research, hundreds of the dogs are now settling into their forever homes, where they’re encountering grass, stairs, toys and affection for the first time.
“They right now don’t even know they’re dogs,” Paws of War co-founder Robert Misseri said during a segment on “My View with Lara Trump.”
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“They come in, [and] they’re coming from a very, very difficult environment but, as we transition them to the families, as we’ve seen with the adopters, they are coming around.”
Misseri’s organization helps train and place shelter dogs to assist U.S. military veterans suffering from the emotional effects of war. He told Fox News that the group took 10 beagles into their care upon their release.
The dogs were among a group that was transferred from the facility after state investigators uncovered alleged violations of animal welfare laws, prompting a rescue effort that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called a “major win for animal welfare.”
“It was just a very rewarding opportunity for this organization to be part of that [rescue],” Misseri said.
Adapting to life outside the controversial facility takes time. Stepping onto the grass, climbing up stairs and learning to be around humans poses a challenge for some time.
“When you see them and they’re shut down, that’s how they live. They lived like that,” Misseri explained.
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“They weren’t dogs, they were products. We see them from shaking and not knowing if we’re going to hurt them. They don’t know if they’re going back to where they came from. Who knows what’s going through their minds. But one thing we do know is they’re safe.
But Misseri has a team behind him to help prepare the dogs for the transition.
Director of Adoptions Jodie Cohen described how the group helps the “traumatized little souls,” from interviewing veterans and first responders to find good matches for the dogs, to teaching the dogs how to perform basic skills.
“They’ve never been walked on leashes, so we have to carry them out,” she said.
“We have to teach them how to go potty. We teach them to keep their runs clean and basically get them ready for adoption. And then when the dogs are adopted, they can participate in our free group obedience training. Our adopters go home with hundreds of dollars’ worth of supplies, and they make lifelong friends, so it’s not only about adopting the dog, but it’s making relationships, and that’s why our program is so different.”
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The organization says the program is designed to help both the animals and the people adopting them recover from trauma and build confidence together.
“The lives are being changed on both ends of the leash, and they really are,” Misseri said.
“It’s making tremendous, tremendous strides, and that’s why we wake up every morning knowing we can do it again.
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