Wisconsin beagle research facility that drew protests is closing as rescue group takes in dogs
Location of Wisconsin beagle breeding and research facility recent violent protests is closing and its remaining dogs are being taken in by a Florida rescue group.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced Monday that it has reached an agreement to permanently close Ridglan Farms and transfer the remaining 475 beagles starting this week.
“Not one dog will be left,” Lauree Simmons, the group’s founder, said at a news conference at a farm in Wisconsin. “No more breeding, no more testing, no more nothing.”
Years of opposition to the facility came to light when a large group of animal welfare activists came to the top in April. stormy The property attempting to take away the Beagles resulted in the police using it. tear gas and pepper spray They made dozens of arrests.
Some protesters were also arrested in March after breaking into the facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of the capital Madison, and taking 30 dogs.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue said some of the beagles will go to rescue groups, while others will be sent to campuses in Florida and Alabama, where they will be spayed or neutered and prepared for adoption.
Group I bought about 1,500 More than 2,000 beagles at the facility in April for an undisclosed price.
About 200 dogs were being transferred Monday, according to Simmons. Another 125 people will be moved on Tuesday. The transfer of the remaining beagles will take place in August as they are still puppies.
Simmons urged protesters to refrain from further demonstrations, saying Ridglan Farms has committed to permanently shutting down its dog breeding, sales, research and testing operations.
“Our focus now should be on supporting these dogs as they transition into their new lives,” said Simmons. “These dogs will experience safety and a normal life for the first time.”
Simmons said his group is also “working closely” with the Trump administration to stop funding studies that subject dogs to “invasive and painful experiments.”
Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called Monday’s agreement a “huge win for animal welfare.” In a post on X.
Ridglan Farms said in a statement that all dogs transferred were “happy, healthy animals” with “extensive” state and federal inspection documentation.
“We hope these dogs will continue to thrive in their new homes,” the company said, adding that it hoped to “bring to an end a years-long harassment campaign targeting the owners, staff and neighbors of the research facility.”
For years, animal activists have been looking for ways to adopt the dogs at the facility instead of selling them to other research facilities.
Beagles are the most common dog breed used for animal testing due to their smaller size and gentle temperament, according to Big Dog Ranch Rescue.
Ridglan Farms agreed in October to give up its state cultivation license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on animal abuse charges.
The firm denied mistreating animals, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms performed eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.
