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After their second 10-hour road trip, Peach arrived home with them. But bringing Peach home was only the beginning. Once the former laboratory beagle was finally safe, the physical toll of her past – and the medical care she would need to move beyond it – quickly came into focus.

Her paws were swollen, discolored and inflamed, while her skin, ears and face showed signs something was wrong. She later underwent major dental work and tumor removals and has battled serious environmental allergies and recurring infections ever since. Dodd says she and her husband have spent thousands of dollars of their own money on Peach’s veterinary care over the past three months, with additional costs covered through donations to a GoFundMe fundraiser set up to help with her medical expenses.

The money and medical appointments, however, are only part of Peach’s story. Even when there are bad days and what seems like more steps backward than forward, Dodd relishes every moment that she sees Peach be her normal Beagle self – just being a dog.

“Seeing Peach go through her incredible firsts: be comfortable, be safe, receive love, give love and affection makes every single hard day, every single vet appointment, every single sleepless night absolutely worth it,” Dodd said, pointing out that Peach is not just surviving, “She’s thriving.”

Her newfound confidence is showing up in different ways. Peach shares her home with four feline siblings, who have taught her plenty – including a few tricks she probably wasn’t supposed to learn, like scaling a baby gate to get to her treats which apparently she didn’t think were being distributed quickly enough. She’s being a dog – a Beagle, mischief and all. And Dodd loves every minute of it.

Peach Needs a Backyard She Can Use

But for all the ordinary Beagle mischief Peach has discovered, there are still some ordinary parts of being a dog that remain out of reach. Because of her medical issues and long list of allergies (including grass), for Peach, even something as ordinary as going outside remains complicated. Her environmental allergies are so severe that Dodd says Peach currently can’t simply walk into the yard. And when she goes outside on her adventures, it’s in a pink stroller. She also gets carried from her house to the car when she takes a trip.

The family is now raising money to create a safe outdoor “kingdom” for Peach, planning to use artificial turf over an existing concrete area where she can enjoy being outside without aggravating her allergies. After spending so many years confined inside a laboratory facility, the goal is to give Peach a protected space where she can safely experience the outdoors. The fundraiser for Peach’s allergy safe outdoor “kingdom” is here.

Beagles Get Their Own Second Chances in Michigan

Peach may be building her new life in Florida, but she’s far from the only former Ridglan beagle learning what life outside a laboratory can be like. Some of her fellow beagles have found their second chances right here in Michigan.

Ridglan beagles have made their way to rescue groups and homes across the state, some coming through the Upper Peninsula’s Copper Country Humane Society and Delta Animal Shelter. Two of the Beagles, Charlie and Linus, were placed in the DAWGZ Adapt program at Alger Correctional Facility, where incarcerated handlers work with shelter dogs on socialization and obedience training.

“Their journey toward a brighter, happier future starts here, and we’re honored to walk beside them every step of the way,” said Dogs of MDOC on social media. “The staff and handlers at Alger Correctional Facility are proud to play a role in their healing, growth, and new beginnings.”

The challenge is similar no matter where the dogs go. While some dogs have been adjusting easily to life outside a laboratory setting, many have been facing medical or behavioral challenges as they learn how to navigate a world they’ve never known.

Marching for the Ones Still Waiting

For Dodd, those challenges aren’t theoretical. She has watched Peach learn to live outside the laboratory while also dealing with the health issues that ultimately changed their plans to take part in MAAT’s upcoming march. Dodd originally planned to participate in the New York march with Peach in her pink stroller, but Peach’s health made the trip impractical. Instead, Dodd has joined MAAT’s fundraising efforts and is helping with personalized donor thank-you messages while exploring a solidarity event in Gainesville, Florida. She also encourages people who can’t march to make phone calls, send emails, contact businesses and simply talk to friends, relatives and coworkers about animal testing.

And while Dodd is busy on the internet and working on the march, Peach’s growing fan club is able to keep up with the Beagle’s adventures on Facebook, where “Princess Peach: Tales of a Former Ridglan Beagle” has attracted about 5,700 followers. The page is managed by her mom, but Peach gets the microphone, with posts written in the beagle’s own voice as she shares her progress, discoveries and day-to-day life outside the laboratory. It gives followers a chance to watch Peach’s transformation in real time – from a dog learning how to live in a home to a confident, much-loved family member with plenty to say about her new world.

From Laboratory Number to a Life of Her Own

The Ridglan kennels are finally empty, and more than 2,000 beagles like Peach have been given the chance to discover what life can look like beyond a laboratory. But Marshall BioResources is still breeding animals for research, which is why march organizers say their work is far from finished.

For Dodd, Peach is living proof of what can come after a laboratory number is left behind. CTU9 now has a name, a family, thousands of followers and, if all goes according to plan, a backyard kingdom of her own. And while Peach won’t be making the 207-mile journey to Marshall in her pink stroller, her story will be going along for the ride.