A rescued beagle's first trip to the beach is melting hearts online after a video showed him reacting to the ocean in the sweetest possible way.

A clip shared by Animal Watch (@annekasvenskaofficial) shows the former Ridglan Farms laboratory beagle at a beach in East Hampton, New York, as he sees the ocean and open water for the first time.

@annekasvenskaofficial WATCH! RIDGLAN BEAGLE AT NY BEACH SWIM BY THE OCEAN Wow! This cute little guy was talen to the beach in East Hampton NY for the first time and he started swimmng!! Even if it was an air swim, you can't deny how heartwarming this sight is. His little paws paddling by instinct; but better yet, imagine how healthy and happy he feels by the Ocean and breathing clean air. He was one of 20 Beagles saved by @nycscr NYC Second Chance Rescue . Repost @susanchanalask #Beagles #AnimalRights #rescuedogs #ridglanfarms ♬ Heartfelt Moments - Melody Silver Copper

Said the caption: "This cute little guy was taken to the beach… for the first time and he started swimming! Even if it was more of an air swim, you can't deny how heartwarming this sight is. His little paws paddling by instinct; but better yet, imagine how healthy and happy he feels by the ocean and breathing clean air."

The online response to the video was exactly what you might expect for such a tender moment. The video, now seen close to 5 million times, included loving and supportive comments, with many sharing sentiments such as "thanks for saving him."

"Can't imagine spending your life thinking that the entire world is a cage in a lab, just to come face to face with an ocean," one said.

Another user wrote: "He dreamed of such big adventures and the ocean and now he is there." Many others added that the 45-second clip made them cry out of joy for the little guy.

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The beagle in the video was one of 20 saved dogs by NYC Second Chance Rescue after being released from Ridglan Farms, a breeding and testing facility in Wisconsin that drew intense scrutiny and even violent clashes with protesters that involved pepper spray and tear gas.

Research facilities such as Ridglan Farms often use beagles for animal testing due to their small size and docile and trusting nature. Nearly 1,500 other beagles will be finding new homes after the Big Dog Ranch Rescue, alongside the Center for a Humane Economy, agreed to buy the dogs from the controversial research facility.

PBS has reported that Ridglan Farms will be giving up its state breeding license in order to avoid felony charges of animal mistreatment, despite the fact that the company denied mistreating animals. Prosecutors, on the other hand, have found that the research facility did violate veterinary standards.

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