In spite of the ongoing global efforts by numerous individuals and organizations to advocate for animal rights, there are still regions where animals are considered mere commodities. In several countries, animals are utilized by industries and laboratories for research purposes or to test various products.

As a response to this issue, numerous charities and groups have emerged, dedicated to rescuing and liberating dogs trapped in these businesses or similar circumstances.

One notable illustration of such efforts comes from an animal rights organization that successfully rescued a significant number of animals from a laboratory in Chengdu, China.

Rescue + Freedom Project, a California-based organization in the United States, embarked on a mission to save 17 dogs, one of whom was Maria, a 10-year-old Beagle. Maria had spent her entire life in the confines of a laboratory, unaware of what it felt like to have a home. Living a life of captivity, she resided in a steel cage without experiencing the comforts and warmth of a loving household.

Maria's health was deteriorating as she battled with old age and blindness, allegedly caused by the experiments conducted at the facility. The conditions in which the dogs were subjected to had left them visually impaired and filled with fear.

The dog was not the only animal rescued from the horrible area that had visual difficulties and was in bad health.

Shannon Keith, president and creator of the Rescue + Freedom Project , told The Dodo That

“I can’t say for sure, but because of her physique I could tell that she was utilized as a breeder.”

It is also suspected that María was employed to research a sort of glaucoma, as she suffered from this ailment, yet everything suggested that it had been induced. Many of the other canines also had the condition, although some were more serious, requiring surgery.

Shannon said:

“Several of the dogs in that institution were blind, or had bad glaucoma and we had to remove their eyes because they were in so much suffering. That’s not a coincidence, it’s plainly something they did to them.”

Fortunately, the scientists at the laboratory made the decision to release Maria, considering her advanced age, fragility, and blindness. As she was no longer deemed valuable for their experiments, it was a fortunate turn of events. These types of companies often release dogs when they become too worn out, as they perceive them to be of little value for their research purposes.

Local rescuers took the responsibility of transporting Maria and the other dogs to a veterinary facility, recognizing the mental wounds they had endured throughout their ordeal.

Shannon, one of the rescuers, expressed, "Maria, like many survivors of lab testing, exhibits signs of distress and disorientation. She's deeply traumatized, but we have confidence that with time, she will heal and overcome."

In China, not everyone embraces dogs as pets, and there is a particular reluctance to adopt dogs that have been rescued from laboratories. This presented a challenge in finding suitable forever homes for these dogs. In light of this obstacle, the rescuers reached out to the Rescue + Freedom Project for assistance.