Beagle puppies from the first group of 201 beagles removed from Envigo RMS LLC facility in Cumberland, VA, play at the care and rehabilitation center in Maryland on July 22, 2022.

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A Cumberland County grand jury has decided to indict Dawn Marie Gau on 17 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals, in the latest case linked to the closed Envigo facility. 

Gau had served as the attending veterinarian at Envigo’s Cumberland dog breeding facility, which supplied dogs to laboratories all over the world for experimentation. It shut down in 2022 after being cited for 74 violations of the Animal Welfare Act by the United States Department of Agriculture, including inadequate veterinary care and insufficient food. The company was forced at the time to surrender more than 4,000 beagles. A key part of the investigation into Envigo was an undercover operation conducted by PETA. The Cumberland grand jury, starting on June 24, heard parts of that PETA operation, as it related to Dr. Gau. 

Reports from that PETA operation made several claims in regards to Dr. Gau’s actions. First, it alleged she was responsible for a prolonged, botched attempt to put down a conscious dog as the animal bled from her legs. Second, the grand jury heard claims that Gau failed to prevent a worker at Envigo from killing a conscious puppy via a painful injection into the heart. 

According to part of the PETA report, “workers put some puppies down by trying to inject euthanasia solution into their hearts while they were conscious and able to feel the needle penetrating their chest, contrary to veterinary guidelines for euthanasia.” 

The report went on to state that, based on what the undercover investigation found, “after a worker denied that he needed to sedate one conscious puppy before putting her down, the puppy raised her head.”

When PETA’s investigator pointed out that “she’s still … awake,” the worker did not respond. 

“He just put the needle into the animal’s chest and injected the solution,” the report stated. 

Grand jury moves forward 

The Cumberland grand jury found enough to issue a “true bill” in the case. This happens when a grand jury decides the prosecution has provided enough evidence to show probable cause. They issue a “true bill”, which formally charges the defendant in the case and moves things forward to trial. 

Now if a grand jury decides there is not enough evidence to show probable cause, they issue what’s called a “no bill”, which results in the charges being dropped. 

In this case, the “true bill” resulted in Gau being indicted on all 17 misdemeanors, based on incidents that allegedly took place from May 2021 to April 2022. Again, this was just an indictment, not a final verdict. In fact, Gau is not even in the state. As of last week, she was listed among the veterinarians working for Indiana-based Pet Wellness Clinics. However, as of Monday, July 7, all evidence of her on the group’s website was gone. 

“We thank the Virginia Office of the Attorney General’s Animal Law Unit for its painstaking probe and resolve in holding Gau accountable for these acts and many more,” PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch said in a statement provided to The Herald. “Indiana’s animal guardians would be wise to steer clear of Gau as she’s prosecuted on cruelty-to-animals charges.”

Envigo forced to pay fines

This is the latest in a series of cases linked to the Envigo facility. Last October, two years after the company’s operation in Cumberland was shut down and four months after being found guilty on multiple charges, Envigo officials were back in court to hear the sentence. 

In U.S. District Court, Judge Norman K. Moon split the sentence between the two child companies of Envigo. Both Envigo RMS LLC and Envigo Global Services received five years probation. Each one also had to pay a $11 million fine for a total of $22 million, paid out over a four year period starting on June 3, 2025 and ending by June 3, 2028. Each also had to pay a penalty up front, with $125 from Envigo RMS and $400 from Global Services. And then the judge also handed out a series of penalties. 

Breaking down the Envigo penalties

Part of the sentence involves paying $3.5 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to help restore the environment and ecosystem in Cumberland County. Also, both companies were required to improve their facilities across the country and train personnel beyond the standards set up by the Animal Welfare Act. The groups must spend at least $7 million in years to come to make this happen. 

In addition, the companies paid an estimated $1.1 million to the Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force and $1.9 million to the Humane Society of the United States. The Humane Society found homes for all of the more than 4,000 dogs involved in the case, all within a 60 day period. The Humane Society and its partners retrieved 300 to 600 beagles at a time to go to an adoption facility or go back with them to Maryland. Because of their efforts, the dogs have been relocated to 120 different shelters in 29 different states. And yes, you may have heard, one of the pups was adopted by Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 

And finally, the companies agreed to visits by a compliance monitor, which oversees compliance with all these previous rules. The companies also agreed to pay for the compliance monitor. 

What happens next? 

After the grand jury indictment, a capias warrant was issued for Gau. That’s basically an order to arrest and detain someone to guarantee their court appearance. As of Monday, July 7, no date has been set for the next hearing in the case.