At Camp Beagle we sometimes think that we are in our own bubble – then you realise that the word of Camp Beagle have been circulated all over the globe and reached people who had idea what happens at MBR Acres let alone what happens to the poor dogs.
Camp Beagle is honored to have Robert Sturman as a proud and loud supporter of our campaign; indeed he visited Camp in the summer.
We are proud to publish the story of Otis as what can happen when dogs are released from the vivisection industry – above all it’s highlights the love between dogs and us mere humans.
Otis’ Story in the word of his proud owner Robert.
I came across a photograph of a beautiful hound on an animal testing rescue page, and he was up for adoption. Having recently lost my dog and knowing my home was perfectly set up for a pup to live and enjoy life in, I was instantly drawn in.
The sadness I felt for what Otis had endured as a subject of animal testing was overwhelming. Bred in captivity, he had spent the first year of his life imprisoned in a steel cage in a laboratory being tested on. Seeing the images from his time there was deeply heartbreaking. I knew I had to offer my home as a foster while the rescue organization searched for his forever home.
When they brought him to my house and left, within 10 minutes of sitting on the couch together, Otis and I shared a tender, quiet moment. Our eyes found each other, and my heart broke. I took a deep breath and made up my mind that he was home and I told him he was never going to be sent anywhere else. I immediately contacted the rescue organization and asked them to change his status from “foster” to “adopted.”
Otis is an 85 pound English American Redtick Coonhound, and it is extremely rare for large dogs who have been tested on to be spared from euthanasia once testing ends—it’s almost unheard of.
When he was rescued by the Beagle Freedom Project, his name was subject 162508, the number that is prominently tattooed on his ear. Otis had holes in his head and scars all over his body and his rescuers described his condition as the worst case of animal testing they had ever seen.
(Images of Otis – enlarge them as they are fantastic)
OK. Now let me explain a little bit about me. For well over a decade, I’ve dedicated myself to photographing yoga around the world, celebrating anyone and everyone, anywhere and everywhere, using the poetic language of yoga to tell an incredible story of human beings in pursuit of being better at being human. When Otis came into my life, I was taking a small break from photographing asana. Then he arrived, and the guy just kept doing the most exquisite, textbook downward-facing dogs I had ever seen in my life. And I realized I couldn’t escape being a yoga photographer even if I tried.
Yet there was always a longing to use my craft to somehow be a voice for animals. With Otis, that opportunity finally presented itself. There are over 65,000 dogs being tested on in laboratories in the United States alone. Our mission is clear: to bring awareness to the countless animals still trapped in laboratories and to be a voice for those who have no voice. To educate about outdated testing methods and support alternative methods. And to inspire others to make kinder choices, beginning with choosing cruelty free products.
I believe I turned to yoga in the first place to acquire tools to manage life’s challenges. Seeing Otis’s scars and tattoo, knowing what he’s endured, and being exposed to a world where animals are treated so disrespectfully has profoundly impacted me. It has sent me on a difficult yet transformative journey—one that requires confronting suffering, processing darkness, and still finding a way to embrace joy. Through our journey, Otis has taught me to face life’s challenges with an open heart, no matter how painful. It’s the allowing of a river to flow through me in which joy and sadness can harmoniously coexist—a tear and a smile. By walking beside him, I’m learning to turn tragedy into something deeper—perhaps even triumph.
Thank you Robert – Otis is a very lucky and beautiful hound
The Camp Beagle Team
Robert Sturman who can be found at Website – YouTube – Instagram – Facebook