For most dogs, activities like playing with toys and going on walks are second nature. But when Yvonne Horan first adopted her beagle, Barkley, he wasn’t familiar with how to do any of the things that make dogs happy.
Barkley spent five years of his life in an animal testing lab. When he was retired from the lab, Horan adopted him from Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary, the only animal sanctuary in the U.S. that rescues former research animals.
Horan isn’t sure what, exactly, Barkley went through in his time at the lab. She does know that almost all of his teeth were removed, so clearly, he’s been through a lot.
“He didn’t know what treats were … He didn’t know how to play with our other two dogs,” Horan told The Dodo.
Horan doesn’t like to dwell on what Barkley has been through, though.
“We try not to think of the past,” Horan said. “[We] just think, ‘OK, let’s be in the moment and just give him the best life we can for the rest of his life.’”
In the two months since Horan adopted Barkley, she’s been slowly getting him used to things like walking on a leash and getting picked up. Horan said that her other two other dogs have served as great “role models” for Barkley.
Barkley’s new siblings have been especially helpful in modeling something that’s important to every dog — playing with toys. Horan’s other beagle, Arthur, likes carrying toys from inside their house out into the backyard to play with. For a while, Barkley just observed Arthur’s toy routine. He slowly worked his way up to sniffing the toys, and finally, one day, he decided to start playing with one out of the blue.
“He just went over and grabbed [the toy] and started running around the backyard. He just looked so happy. His tail was wagging, and we were just so excited,” Horan said.
It might surprise some people to learn that testing on beagles is still very common. Horan hopes that when people learn about Barkley’s story, it will inspire people to do more research about the effects of animal testing.
“There are still dogs out there that this is happening to [who] need homes afterward,” Horan said.
Thankfully for Barkley, he’s in a loving home now — and has quickly become quite the expert at playing with toys. One might say that Barkley is lucky to have ended up with such a patient, supportive family. But Horan doesn’t see it that way.
“We’re the ones who are really lucky,” she said.
