Beagles rescued from Virginia facility shake paws at the Capitol

SPOTTED: The beagles have landed at the Capitol.

A bevy of rescued beagles woofed and wagged their way to the Rayburn House office building on Thursday, at an event with Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) and Cruelty Free International and Homeward Trails Animal Rescue.

The furry Capitol Hill visitors were part of a group of 4,000 beagles removed in July from a Virginia breeding and research facility that had been cited for animal welfare violations.

The dogs were removed by the nonprofit Humane Society of the United States and transferred to animal shelters and rescue organizations.

Congressional staffers were seen snuggling and playing with the high-spirited canines at the Fido-focused gathering, which was also attended by Reps. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.).

Cárdenas also touted his bill, the Companion Animal Release from Experiments, or CARE, Act, H.R. 5726, during the pups’ appearance on Thursday. The legislation would require research facilities funded by the National Institutes of Health to “implement post-research adoption policies for dogs, cats and rabbits.”