The Beagle Freedom Project

A word from The Beagle Freedom Project (an amazing organization that is helping to re-home animals from testing labs, change animal testing legislature, and spread the word about cruelty free products):

Hey there, Beauty Bunnies!

Almost everyone reading this blog is an animal lover, aware of the inhumane practices of laboratory animal testing, and an ethical shopper. Sometimes we feel like we’re simply “preaching to the choir”, but I want to start off by saying how incredible it is to be part of a Community of Change! When we face opposition from people and companies who value convenience and money above doing what’s right, we take comfort in knowing that we’re not alone. And we are not only in this together passively, we are a passionate community and ready to take ACTION!

I work for an animal advocacy group called The Beagle Freedom Project, non-profit organization dedicated to three main goals. First, we coordinate with labs all over the world to rescue animals after experimentation, provide rehabilitation and foster care until we can place them in forever homes. Second, we initiate and champion legislation to literally change state law and ensure that all research animals get a chance at life after labs. And third, we have developed Cruelty-Cutter, a smart phone app to promote ethical shopping and consumer involvement.

A lot of people ask us “Why beagles?” and are shocked to learn that of the ~65,000 dogs sitting in cages across America, over 95% are beagles. They are ideal for research due to their small size and inherently docile nature. They are bred in specialized facilities and in many cases their genes have been trademarked. Most have never seen sunlight or felt grass under their paws; and a heartbreaking 80% of our rescues literally have no voice as their vocal chords have been surgically removed. But we don’t stop at beagles, we actually rescue any lab animal in need (cats, rabbits, mice, rats, pigs, goats… you name them, we save them!) For a good heartwarming cry, please watch this inspiring rescue video!

So let’s talk about the Cruelty-Cutter app and how YOU can get involved!

There are some amazing cruelty-free lists available online (Hello?! MyBeautyBunny ROCKS!!!) and there are some great apps available with search functions (Leaping Bunny and PETA), but Cruelty-Cutter allows users to simply scan a product bar code and see instantly if that company engages in animal testing. It’s available for iPhone and Android, it works worldwide, and proceeds go directly to saving the lives of the very animals who have suffered for so long at the hands of cruel companies! You can read more about how it works and our criteria for determining a company’s animal testing status here.

Furthermore (and this is where our shared community of compassionate activists comes in!), the Bite-Back feature of the Cruelty-Cutter app allows users to easily post to their own social media networks and let others know about specific products and companies. The app provides customizable automated posts with product pictures, along with company contact info where available. And since so many companies only speak the language of money, we’re compiling data to show them just how much business they’re losing with each scan, boycott, and social blast. It’s not enough to simply avoid cruel products, we need to make our voices heard!

No matter where you gather your cruelty-free info, we are so grateful to be in this fight together! Get the Cruelty Cutter app here!

Yours in Compassion,
The Cruelty-Cutter Team at The Beagle Freedom Project