Thirty-three beagles rescued from the Cumberland-based Envigo facility arrived at the Homes Fur Hounds rescue in Williamsburg on Friday. Courtesy of Sweet Ellie Photography

WILLIAMSBURG — Wide-eyed and tentative, 33 newly rescued beagles stepped out of their travel crates and into Deanna Cosby’s sunny backyard on Friday afternoon.

It had been a long two-hour drive to their new home in Williamsburg from the Cumberland-based Envigo facility, where the dogs were picked up by a fleet of volunteers from Homes Fur Hounds, Cosby’s local dog rescue. For all of the dogs involved, the trip marked their first-ever car ride, prompting jitters and, yes, plenty of carsickness.

But despite the nerves, what awaited the dogs as they took their first, probing footsteps into lush, green grass was a window to what dog lovers everywhere hope will be a wonderful future.

“The fun part was watching especially the puppies,” Cosby said. “... Even though grass was new to them, they loved it. They came running out, we had toys in the yard for them to play with and of course a ton of people that wanted to play with them, and they were running around and chasing each other.

“Some of the older dogs that had been there longer, those dogs were a little bit hesitant to step out of the crate. When they touched the grass, they pulled their foot back in and then stepped back and sniffed and stepped back in. We just let them come out at their own pace.”

A beagle rescued from the Cumberland-based Envigo facility takes a first step onto grass in Williamsburg on Friday. Courtesy of Sweet Ellie Photography

Like an assembly line, the dogs were bathed and given their collars, harnesses and leashes, their identifying ear tattoos recorded. Each dog went home with their new foster families with a goodie bag of new supplies, including toys, blankets, crates, bowls and anything else a dog might need.

The dogs were placed with about 25 different fosters in the Williamsburg area, many of whom have been fostering dogs for Homes Fur Hounds for years. One volunteer, Pat Duggan, is fostering two-year-old Jennifer, a shy beagle still finding her footing in her new home environment.

Homes Fur Hounds foster Pat Duggan cuddles with Jennifer, a 2-year-old beagle rescued from the Envigo facility. Courtesy of Pat Duggan

“She’s very skittish,” Duggan said. “She looks over her shoulder a lot, jumps at any sound. She kind of keeps to herself.”

In the handful of days since moving into a new home with Duggan’s own two dogs, Jennifer has been trying to “understand these changes,” Duggan said, adding that Jennifer had been caged for her whole life.

“She is trying. I think she wants to believe that everything is different,” said Duggan. “She just has to take it all in.”

The removal of the dogs comes after a lawsuit was filed in May against Envigo, which bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for experimentation, by the Department of Justice following the discovery of the conditions in the facility. The Humane Society of the United States coordinated with shelters around the country to help remove about 4,000 dogs from the facility.

[  Williamsburg rescue group takes on beagles from shut-down Envigo facility ]

During the fostering process, the dogs, who have never walked on a leash or lived in a house, will get all of their necessary veterinary care before they will be made available to adopt, which will likely be in a handful of weeks.

Thirty-three beagles rescued from the Cumberland-based Envigo facility arrived at the Homes Fur Hounds rescue in Williamsburg on Friday. Courtesy of Sweet Ellie Photography

For those interested in adopting one of Homes Fur Hounds’ dogs, there are several guidelines. The organization only adopts to homes in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, West Virginia and Eastern Tennessee, and all prospective families must drive to Williamsburg to meet the dog or dogs.

The application is available online at homesfurhounds.com, but the organization requests patience as they sort through a high volume of applications. If the application is approved, Homes Fur Hounds will reach out to arrange a meet and greet. The rescue also has a $300 adoption fee.

For those interesting in helping with donations, there is a fundraiser on Homes Fur Hounds’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/donate/3265071867115809/5767189546658547/ as well as on their website.

A tattoo on the ear of a beagle rescued from the Cumberland-based Envigo facility. Thirty-three beagles arrived at the Homes Fur Hounds rescue in Williamsburg on Friday. Courtesy of Sweet Ellie Photography

It’s Duggan’s hope that Jennifer’s time in her home will help get her ready to enjoy a brand new world outside of her Envigo cage.

“I just hope she finds herself in this process,” Duggan said. “That’s kind of what fostering does. It lets these dogs stop being what somebody else thought they should be, and they just get to be a dog.”

Sian Wilkerson, sian.wilkerson@pilotonline.com, 757-342-6616