79 Beagles Liberated - 5th November 1999 - Part 3: The Libertation

Camp Beagle has received an anonymous account detailing how these beagles were liberated on 5th November 1999.

Part 3: THE LIBERATION

Once the guards were back in their security office, the look-outs gave the “all clear”, and we started to build the bridge with scaffolding parts. This would enable us to get over the motion-sensing fence without touching it, thereby avoiding setting the alarm off. Once the tower was high enough on one side, two activists took a potentially ankle-breaking leap onto the other side and built the connecting tower.

About six of us went over the fence using the bridge and made our way to the roof of one of the puppy sheds right at the back of the site. We chose to enter the shed by making a hole in the roof, as we knew the doors and corridors were alarmed. We could have just smashed through the doors, snatched a few dogs, and run, but we wanted to get as many puppies as we could. The whole idea of the bridge and the hole in the roof was to avoid setting off the alarms, as we aimed to empty a whole puppy shed.

This being Bonfire Night, we were at some liberty to make a bit of noise while creating a hole in the tin roof using a variety of tools. A few activists descended inside the shed, and a step ladder was lowered down. Strange as it may sound, there was no concept of acting with gentleness and sensitivity towards the puppies—they were obviously terrified at all this commotion and strangers crashing through the roof. This was a temporary emergency measure, as speed was of the essence. These puppies had a beautiful future awaiting them, but for now, there was no time for reassuring strokes and cuddles.

Literally within seconds of the first activist dropping down from the roof and into the pens, the first puppy was grabbed, put in a zipped-up laundry bag, and passed up and out through the hole in the roof. The activists outside formed a chain—a puppy freedom conveyor belt—carrying the dogs in the bags over the bridge and gathering them together by the hedgeline. It wasn’t long, about half an hour, before the last puppy in the unit was passed out through the hole in the roof.

The next step was to get the hell away without revealing the break-in. The hole in the roof was covered up, the bridge dismantled, and all debris, even tiny pieces, picked up off the ground so that the guards would not notice anything during their next patrols.

Activists then formed their teams, and the all-important mobile phone calls could be made to the drivers to say we were ready to be picked up. It would take the same amount of time for the cars to arrive as it would for the long, exhausting run from the bottom of the site, across the muddy field, and up to the roadside, carrying the dogs towards their freedom. The look-outs were the last ones to be picked up, as they kept watching and reporting back right to the end.

That run felt like the hardest part. We knew we had the dogs in our hands, and we could not move fast enough to get as far away from that hellhole as possible.

One by one, the cars began to arrive. Each activist knew their team, and as the car pulled in, the activists with their precious bags would quickly get in and speed away from the area.

It felt like the job was done, but it wasn’t, because the puppies were not yet in a safe place where the next phase could take place: making these beautiful puppies disappear into forever homes. These puppies were now free but would be on the run for the rest of their lives.