The Envigo dog scandal involves Envigo, a company breeding Beagles for research, which pleaded guilty in 2024 to violating the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) by neglecting thousands of dogs at its Cumberland, Virginia breeding facility. The company faced a record $35 million fine, including criminal fines and payments to support animal welfare and environmental projects. Violations included unsanitary conditions, lack of veterinary care, wire flooring injuries, euthanizing dogs without anesthesia, and improper wastewater treatment contaminating local waterways. Envigo has since closed its facility and forfeited over 4,000 Beagles to the government. Virginia Tech was implicated in the scandal because it sourced dogs from Envigo for research purposes. The university has faced multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act over several years, including incidents where animals suffered or died due to inadequate care. In 2024, Virginia Tech was fined for repeated failures to comply with animal welfare requirements. The university opposed legislation to restrict breeding and sales of research animals and has been criticized for lack of transparency in reporting animal use. Animal Rights groups have highlighted ongoing violations at Virginia Tech, including failures in veterinary care and poor animal transport conditions. These incidents are part of broader scrutiny on taxpayer-funded animal testing at Virginia Tech. In summary, the Envigo scandal centers on cruelty and neglect at a large dog breeding facility, with Virginia Tech implicated as a major purchaser of dogs from Envigo for its experiments, facing its own series of animal welfare issues and fines as a result