Little Minnie timidly steps onto the snow-covered grass and inspects the surroundings. With one paw lifted apprehensively, the two-year-old beagle appears to be unsure of what to do next. It’s a big day for Minnie, as the adorable dog steps outside in the open air for the first time in its life.
In a short video posted to the link-sharing site Reddit on Wednesday by user habsman9, the hesitant female beagle can be seen slightly shaking in the snow and peering around as it slowly takes a couple of timid first steps.
The clip was accompanied by the caption: “Today I adopted a beagle that was previously used in research. Here is Minnie stepping outside and on grass for the first time in her life!”
According to comments submitted by the Reddit poster, Minnie was bred in a lab at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, N.Y. Minnie was originally intended to be used in anesthesiology research with a group of other dogs, but it never underwent any trials, according to its new owner. Instead, the beagle became a teaching animal for veterinarian graduate students, such as the Reddit user, to practice their physical examination skills on.
Minnie’s new owner defended the university’s program from critical comments submitted below the original video post.
“This dog was never harmed physically,” the user wrote. “All these clinical trials are subject to strict ethical guidelines that ensure the well-being of the animals.”
The beagle’s new owner also suggested that it is not shaking from fear, but because it’s experiencing a completely new environment, including the uneven ground and cold snow.
“These dogs have a lot of love to give but had no one to give it to, and I gladly became that person,” Minnie’s owner wrote.
