It didn’t take long for the cowering brown and white pup to wag his tail.

First he stood, quivering, in the crate in which he had lived for two years at a Bay Area testing laboratory. He tentatively extended a paw, his first foray onto grass. Once out, he looked at the sky and cheering volunteers, and then zeroed in on the dog biscuits.

That’s when the tail started. The transition from terrified laboratory subject to romping, slobbering pet took about 20 seconds.

“How brave!” said Desiree Hedberg, who offered her San Jose backyard this week to introduce nine beagles and four rabbits – all former laboratory specimens – to their new lives. “What a good dog.”

The beagles, six females and three males, spent most of their lives in crates, undergoing pharmaceutical testing. They’re among 60,000 dogs in medical laboratories nationwide, according to the Foundation for Biomedical Research, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that advocates for the ethical use of animals in scientific studies.

A Los Angeles group called Beagle Freedom Project arranged with the laboratory to collect the dogs that were no longer needed by the laboratory. Euthanasia is the usual outcome for dogs after they’ve endured two or so years of research.

Volunteers with the beagle group declined to identify the laboratory for fear the publicity would provoke protests and discourage laboratory officials from releasing more dogs in the future.

Identity issues aside, the brown-and-white beagles appeared comfortable and curious. Although they moved slowly, they did a lot of sniffing, some cautious exploring and much friendly investigation of each other and the small crowd of volunteers gathered to care for them.

One thing they did not do was bark. All nine had had their vocal chords cut to prevent barking.

Although some laboratories arrange to find homes for used dogs, most do not. Wednesday’s rescue was a happy anomaly, said Allison Lindquist, director of the East Bay SPCA.

“I know the people who care for these dogs in the labs have genuine affection for them and absolutely love them,” she said. “It’s very sad there are no alternatives for some research. The sole reason for these dogs’ existence is to be used for testing.”

Most dogs in laboratories are raised specifically for lab use, said Liz Hodge, spokeswoman for the Foundation for Biomedical Research. Beagles are preferred because of their small size and docile nature.

Dogs have played critical roles in research for diabetes, heart conditions, blindness and sleep disorders, she said. They’ve also helped in veterinary research, including arthritis, pacemakers and organ replacement.

The Beagle Freedom Project rescued two other dogs in January, and hopes to rescue dozens more. Ultimately, they’d like to see testing on dogs banned, said Shannon Keith, who founded the group in 2010.

“Any kind of information you can extrapolate from research on a dog does not apply to humans,” she said. “Our goal is to change the law.”

The beagles cavorted in Hedberg’s backyard for about an hour, then were loaded back into their crates for a drive to Los Angeles. They’ll stay in foster homes until the group finds them permanent homes.

Cute as they may be, rescued lab beagles might not be the easiest pets, Lindquist said.

They’re likely to have expensive medical conditions, such as cancer, and be very fearful. After all, they’ve never been in a house, had a walk, gone for a car ride or played much with other dogs. And they’re most certainly not housebroken.

“Sometimes they’ll just sit frozen in a corner,” she said. “But good for this group for saving them. It’s a terrible life for these dogs otherwise.”