Victory! After Nearly 60 Years, the Last Beagles Are Finally Free From Ridglan Farms
In an incredible victory for dogs, after nearly 60 years of breeding beagles to be sold for laboratory experimentation, Ridglan Farms is finally empty.
The infamous Wisconsin facility, where animal activists carried out a daring rescue operation earlier this year, surrendered its breeding license effective July 1. Earlier this month, the final 155 beagles were transferred to Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Florida, bringing the total number of dogs rescued by the organization from Ridglan to 2,115.
Among the final group were 141 puppies estimated to be just four months old, who will now have the chance to grow up knowing kindness and compassion rather than the lifetime of cruelty they were bred for.
For decades, dogs at Ridglan were treated as nothing more than products to be sold for experimentation. The facility was accused of over 300 violations of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, with evidence of dogs left with open wounds, surgeries performed without anesthesia, and handling that caused physical harm and unnecessary injury. Evidence presented in court also described the removal of eye glands without anesthesia and the cutting of dogs' vocal cords to silence them.
Now, thanks to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, more than 2,000 dogs once treated as interchangeable products will finally be recognized for what they have always been: individuals with their own unique personalities, each equally deserving of safety, happiness, and love. They will now have the opportunity to find forever homes and experience the lives they should have had all along.
Before they are adopted, the final group will receive medical evaluations, vaccinations, and spay or neuter procedures as they adjust to their new lives.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who signed the official Save the Dogs petition and stood with us as we joined animal advocates across the country and around the world in demanding freedom for the Ridglan beagles.
But while this chapter has ended for the dogs, the fight is not over for many of the people who stood up for them.
Forty-seven animal activists involved in the March rescue, during which 22 beagles were removed from Ridglan Farms, now face felony charges including burglary, property damage, and theft, with some of the charges carrying potential sentences of years in prison. Four other activists previously charged in connection with the action are scheduled to face trial in January.
Species Unite is closing our campaign on behalf of the Ridglan beagles because these dogs are finally free. But we will continue to stand in solidarity with the activists who risked their own freedom to expose the suffering at Ridglan and fight for these animals, and we will share important updates as their cases move forward.
While the Ridglan beagles are finally free, thousands of other dogs are still being bred for the same cruel industry. If you haven't already, you can continue fighting for dogs in the animal testing pipeline by signing our new campaign against Marshall BioResources.
What You Fought Against
On Saturday, April 18th, hundreds of courageous animal lovers put their safety on the line in an attempt to rescue over 2,000 beagles being held at Ridglan Farms, a veterinary research facility just outside Madison, Wisconsin. These innocent puppies were bred to be used in horrific, torturous animal experiments at a facility that had been producing dogs as if they were nothing more than disposable tools for over 60 years.
Although a judge found probable cause in early 2025 that Ridglan Farms was guilty of felony animal cruelty, a tragic miscarriage of justice followed. The facility was offered a deal that did not require it to stop breeding dogs until July 2026.
This was an unthinkably weak response to clear evidence of extreme suffering. Ridglan Farms was charged with over 300 violations of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, including leaving dogs with open wounds, performing surgeries without anesthesia, and handling them in ways that cause physical harm and unnecessary injury. Evidence presented in court also described the removal of eye glands without anesthesia and the cutting of dogs' vocal cords to silence them.
For nearly a decade, advocates tried to stop this through legal channels and failed. When the system would not act, people stepped in. In March, activists successfully removed over 20 beagles from the facility, some of whom are now safe in loving homes today. This successful rescue showed that these dogs are not "test subjects." They are companions who can and should live full, happy lives.
Beagles are often the breed of choice for abusive testing because they are small, easy to handle, and so inherently trusting of humans that they can endure years of abuse without becoming aggressive. Inside the facility, witnesses described dogs forced to stand on wire flooring that cut into their feet, surrounded by the overwhelming smell of waste, with no real stimulation or care. The dogs raised and killed for testing typically go their entire lives without ever feeling grass beneath their paws or the sun on their fur.
The beagles at Ridglan deserved to be set free the moment there was clear evidence they were being mistreated, long before ever reaching the testing laboratories. When the law would not protect these innocent dogs, compassionate individuals came together to engage in an act of open rescue. The would-be rescuers attempted to negotiate, offering to leave peacefully if dogs were released, and even proposing to buy all of the remaining dogs, but were refused, proving that Ridglan Farms had no interest in allowing these animals to enjoy lives of love, and freedom.
Despite using peaceful, fully transparent tactics to try to rescue the puppies, the hundreds of individuals who gathered at Ridglan Farms were met with shocking violence. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd of animal defenders who had come to save the dogs.
Many were seriously injured, including one man who reportedly lost multiple teeth after being beaten by officers. Four individuals are now facing felony burglary charges, despite the fact that no dogs were successfully removed during the April action. Officials have also since called for an independent investigation into the level of force used.
While this case brought renewed attention to the plight of these beagles, the clock was still ticking. If these dogs had not been released and rehomed before the 2026 deadline, many could ultimately have been euthanized.
Species Unite stood firmly with the brave individuals who risked their safety and their freedom to take a stand for these helpless puppies. We urged our supporters to sign and share the Save the Dogs petition to help it reach the 100,000-signature goal. Together, we helped ensure that this horrific case of animal cruelty, propped up by a system that failed to protect these puppies from suffering, was not allowed to continue, and that these precious dogs had the chance to be set free and find the loving homes they deserve.