She added, “Her tail was wagging a million miles a minute.”

The Envigo beagles had never played with toys and barely had exposure to humans before being released, according to animal rescue workers and volunteers who helped settle them in new homes. Many were afraid of sounds from the TV or even the squeak of a stuffed toy when they first entered the outside world.

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When Momma Mia was taken to California, a volunteer brought her a toy fox, Keith said. She immediately knew how to play, and it was the last of her possessions she grabbed before leaving for her new home with Meghan and Harry in Montecito, California.

“It’s like she knew that was her new home,” Keith said. “They were just so loving towards her.”

Branches of the royal family have often committed to their preferred dog breeds for decades, Vogue reported. Queen Elizabeth has been photographed surrounded by her corgis over the years; Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, got a cocker spaniel in 2021; and Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, have had Jack Russell terriers.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had two dogs before Mia, according to Vogue. Meghan owned a beagle named Guy before marrying Harry, and the couple got a black Labrador that they named Pula after their wedding.

“After a life spent being forced to give birth to litter after litter of puppies destined for laboratories, I can think of no more fitting ‘happily ever after’ than being adopted by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.

Momma Mia isn’t the only Envigo beagle to end up living with a well-known family. A puppy named Morty became the First Beagle of New Jersey, joining Governor Phil Murphy, his wife, Tammy Murphy, their four children and two other dogs, said Sue Bell, executive director of Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, in Fairfax Station, Virginia.

“They talked me in to getting another dog, and I’m so glad they did,” Murphy said in a tweet. “Welcome to the family, Morty!”

Almost 3000 beagles have been removed from the Envigo property as of Wednesday afternoon, said Kirsten Peek, a spokesperson for the Humane Society of the United States. The remaining thousand are expected to be released by early September.

By that point, the Humane Society, which was at the forefront of the beagle release, will have worked with about 75 shelters and rescues across the country, she said. Many of the organisations say they have been receiving more applications for adoption than there are beagles.

“It’s been very inspirational and heartwarming to see this massive movement come together to get these dogs into loving homes,” Peek said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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