Beagle Paws raising money for facility

An St. John’s-based organization dedicated to rescuing beagles is raising money to build its own adoption and education centre.  “We are confident we can reach our goal of $ 750,000 and provide a safe and loving place for beagles to stay while they are awaiting their forever homes,” Sheila Lewis, president and founder of Beagle Paws, said in a news release.

The campaign is called Building for Beagles. The facility would be in place of space the organization has rented for the past decade.

Established in 2003, Beagle Paws has rescued and relocated nearly 1,800 abandoned and neglected beagles, most in the province. Since then, chapters have been established in several other provinces.

“Beagles are often only known as hunting dogs and this has created an opinion they should be left outside requiring minimal care and little human interaction,” Lewis said. “Many live chained year-round to doghouses or in cramped, raised cages with wire bottom floors and don’t receive veterinary care. Our mission is to change this for every single beagle, and to do that we need a permanent, better space.”

Beagle Paws recently won $ 5,000 from the Aviva Challenge Fund to start the adoption and education centre fund and has also secured a corporate donation from PPI Solutions, which has agreed to match public donations up to $ 5,000.

For more information on the Building for Beagles campaign, visit: www.buildingforbeagles.com