A 'Regal' Beagle: Duke, Duchess Of Sussex Adopt Rescued Envigo Dog

MONTECITO, CA — Just weeks after she was rescued from the embattled Envigo breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia, one mama beagle went from rags to royalty this week when she was adopted by none other than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Seven-year-old Mamma Mia, who until recently had never been outdoors or touched grass, will now call Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's sprawling 7-acre estate in Montecito home, the Los Angeles Times reported citing the Beagle Freedom Project.

"The duchess called me personally," Shannon Keith, an animal rights attorney who runs the Beagle Freedom Project, told The Times.

Mia was among 4,000 beagles rescued from a Virginia facility run by Envigo, a company that breeds beagles for medical research. Envigo was accused of numerous animal welfare violations discovered at the facility.

According to The Times, investigators found beagles with severe and untreated medical issues. Many were housed in filthy conditions. At times, the dogs were fed moldy food, and on two occasions, inspectors found live maggots in their food, prosecutors said.

Company officials in June announced plans to close the facility. The company also agreed to transfer thousands of dogs to adoption shelters across the country.

Mia was one of the hundreds of beagles that made their way to Southern California, according to The Times. She was among several dogs sheltered by Keith's organization.

At first, Keith didn't realize who it was calling her to inquire about Mia.

"She calls on my cell with no caller ID and says, 'Hey, Shannon, this is Meghan,'" Keith told The Times. "We talked for 30 minutes, and I thought, 'Is this Megan Fox?'"

The Duchess was immediately interested in Mia, Keith told The New York Times. And if Mia's response was any indication, she was immediately interested in Prince Harry and Meghan.

"The second they walked in, it’s like (Mia) knew," Keith told The New York Times. "She ran over to them. ... Her tail was wagging a million miles a minute."

Mia is the third dog to join the Sussex family. In 2018, Harry and Meghan adopted a labrador named Pula shortly after they got married, according to Vogue. Pula joined Guy, a beagle owned by Meghan before their marriage.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, 3,000 beagles have been removed from Envigo so far and were taken in by more than 75 shelters and rescues across the country. Numerous people are also helping care for the beagles.

If you're interested in adopting or fostering one of the beagles, check out the Humane Society's list of partners accepting the dogs into their adoption programs.