Rescuing beagles -- The work to save these dogs across the country

This weekend we took a trip to SPCA/Humane Society of Central Florida in Orlando. My parents decided to look for another dog, since Lulu was now mine. And they found one -- a long-haired dachshund. But there were three adult or senior beagles waiting patiently for new homes. In all cases, the beagles were given up because the owners were told they could not keep them.

All over the country, animals are being given up because owners can no longer keep them. These animals have a chance to find homes, and they have volunteers who treat them well. Only their hearts were broken.

Other beagles endure a worse nightmare -- abandoned, abused, neglected. And even worse, some never even see the light of day. Shut up in lab cages, beagles are often the dog of choice for testing products like makeup, household cleaners and drugs. In fact, it was surprising that Lulu had a reaction to her rabies vaccination last month because beagles are often used to test the vaccines.

Why are beagles so prized for animal experiments? Beagles, generally, are docile, forgiving creatures. They can take a lot of abuse.

Fortunately there are groups out there that take these lab beagles in. Most notable among these is the Beagle Freedom Project. They work with the labs to get these dogs out, rehabilitated, and into good homes. Most recently, they rescued 10 dogs from San Diego.

They also rescued 40 dogs from a lab in Spain. You may have seen the video of the dogs seeing sunshine and grass for the first time ever.

The Beagle Freedom Project is a non-profit out of California, and if you want to help them out, you can get in contact with them to foster a dog, or donate supplies.

There are beagle groups across the country, and all over the world that you can help with though.

Petfinder is a great reference if you're looking for groups in America or Canada. You can also use beagle.rescueshelter.com to find groups in other countries.

Since I'm from Florida, here's a list of Florida rescue groups for beagles:

First Coast Beagle Rescue -- Jacksonville, FL
Southeast Beagle Rescue -- Tampa, FL
Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue -- Tampa, FL
Ziggy Beagle Rescue -- Palm Bay, FL

If you know of any other beagle rescue groups out there, don't hesitate to leave a comment. You can also talk to us on Twitter, via @LifeWithBeagle, or Facebook on Lulu the beagle's official Facebook page.