Meghan Markle and Prince Harry adopt seven-year-old beagle

Meghan Markle, 41, and Prince Harry, 37, have welcomed a new canine member of the family – a beagle rescued from a testing lab. Momma Mia was one of 4,000 dogs seized by authorities after they closed a testing lab in July.

According to Page Six, the Envigo factory, which sold puppies for use in pharmaceutical and biotechnology research, kept the puppies in appalling conditions. Many animals were found to be malnourished and kept in cages where faeces and food scraps accumulated. More than 300 puppies died at the facility between January and July of last year.

Shannon Keith — an animal rights attorney who runs the Beagle Freedom Project and who has taken in many of the rescued dogs — told the LA Times that she got a call from an unidentified number and had no idea who was on the other end.

“She called my cell phone without caller ID and says, ‘Hey Shannon, this is Meghan,'” Keith recalled. “We talked for 30 minutes and I thought, ‘Is that Megan Fox?'” the lawyer said.

Keith only discovered the identity of the caller when Meghan and Prince Harry made a discreet visit after hours to see the dogs at a San Fernando Valley home. No photos were taken of the couple, who were accompanied by two security guards.

Momma Mia was introduced to the royal couple with eight of her newborn puppies. According to Keith, unlike most people who want to adopt puppies, Markle wanted to help an older dog.

The animal rights activist said the Duchess held Momma Mia and said she was adopting the dog. “She said, ‘No, we don’t want a puppy for Christmas. We want the ones we can help, who are older.’

A spokesperson for Markle told The LA Times that the Duchess had read about the closure of the Envigo research plant and wanted to help. The Duchess has been an advocate for the adoption of rescued animals.

When Meghan moved to the UK to marry Prince Harry, she brought along her rescued beagle named Guy.