Volunteers at a dog rescue organization in Bloomfield say they're honored to help two pups find homes.
The dogs, Wilson and Beau, spent the first part of their lives in a medical research lab but now, they're at Dog Star Rescue and ready to be adopted.
At just two years old, they're considered retired research dogs. The dogs gave blood for the first year and a half of their lives.
"They lived in a kennel environment and donated blood to essentially a blood bank for dogs," said Haley Haspeslagh, Dog Star Rescue director of screening.
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Their blood was studied at a veterinary research lab and it helped save other injured pets.
"While we wish they didn't have to go through this, their participation at the location was really critical to the advancement of veterinary research, and enabling veterinarians to better treat companion animals that suffer through traumatic injuries," Haspeslagh said.
Because of that sacrifice, the pups are considered heroes.
When Wilson and Beau retired 10 months ago, they went to the rescue. Now, they're being fostered by volunteers Nicole and Haley.
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"When they arrived, they had no experience living in a traditional home environment. Everything was new to them," Haspeslagh said.
One paw in front of another, they're taking in the world and seeing everything with new eyes.
"They learned how to dog essentially. They learned what doing zoomies in a fenced-in yard was like, what going on a walk with their humans was like," Haspeslagh said.
Some of it was a bit startling for the duo but for the most part, they're handling the move quite well.
Dog Star Rescue said both dogs will do best in homes with dedicated owners, older kids and understanding dogs who can help them become socialized.
"Rescue-savvy dog owners who are willing to put the time, patience and dedication to training and to continuing to work with them," Haspeslagh said.
