My name is Beatrice
I love butterflies
I'll be your best friend
And we'll do best friend things
Until the very end

(Lyrics from My Name is Beatrice

Song by Rebecca Zamolo)

When our hearts stop hurting from messages like the one below, we'll know it's time to pack it in. Because it is our hurting hearts that drive us to do the near impossible for heartbreakingly damaged dogs. It's our hurting hearts that make us strong. Strong enough to be their Rescuer, their Best Friend until the end.

Hi there Marna,

We have a purebred tiny beagle here who would do just about anything to get out of the shelter. She is so so scared and stressed here. She was surrendered to us about 5 days ago. The previous owner worked at a lab that was using beagles for testing. When she left her job, she adopted this beagle. She has had her for over a year now but this little beagle hasn’t come to us in the best condition. We imagine she has been crated for very long periods. She's stained in urine and very thin. Even her little ears were matted with urine.

She is painfully scared here at the shelter (she likely thinks she’s back at the lab). But  she perks up when she sees the other dogs and seems happy and excited to see them. She is easy to handle because she just freezes with fear. She is about 2 years old. So tiny. We are treating her for an ear infection at this time and she's being such a great little patient. Her medical exam indicates she needs a dental with a couple extractions.

Please please let us know if you have any tiny spots available for our tiny girl.        (*email from our friends at Toronto Animal Services)

Lab Research Beagle.

Those three words together. You know what it does to all of us who love and adore Beagles. When will cruelty to animals in the name of industry and progress stop? At least it's going to stop here, for our Bea. But what about her memories? Will they ever go away? Will her tail ever untuck and be free of all that triggers them? Or will she wear them forever like the permanent branding of the lab research tatoos in her ear and on her belly? We'll never know what happened to her in that lab the first year of her life. And we don't know what happened for the second year of her life. All we can see are the consequences.

We've named her Bea - a loving nod to the book written by Kristin von Kreisler, "For Bea: The Story of the Beagle Who Changed My Life". She was a Lab Research Survivor too. And she had a HOWL of a life thanks to love.

PLEASE help us give OUR Bea a HOWL of a life too, from this day forward.

The BEAGLE WIGGLE WALK is just over a week away. We've got a goal to achieve.

For Bea and for all the rest whose lives we're meant to save.

If you've already made a donation - THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

But if you haven't yet,

Please help us continue to make possible the seemingly impossible by making your donation today.

We sure could use the extra support right now.

THANK YOU…on behalf of our beautiful Bea. Our Queen Bea. The Ruler of our Hurting Hearts.