Ridglan Farms beagles: Wisconsin Humane Society to welcome 130 dogs

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Ridglan Farms beagles: Wisconsin Humane Society to welcome 130 dogs

The Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) will be picking up about 130 of the recently freed Ridglan Farms beagles this week to bring back to Wisconsin Humane Society locations. 

The Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) will be picking up about 130 of the recently freed Ridglan Farms beagles this week to bring back to Wisconsin Humane Society locations. 

The Wisconsin Humane Society will pick up the first transport of 40 dogs from the Dane County Humane Society on Monday, May 11. Twenty of the dogs will return to the WHS Milwaukee Campus, and 20 others will return to the WHS Green Bay Campus.
 
Ninety additional Ridglan beagles will be picked up on Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday, May 13. 

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On Tuesday, all 40 will return to the Milwaukee Campus. On Wednesday, 25 beagles will go to Green Bay and 25 will go to the WHS Milwaukee Campus.

Beagles released from Ridglan Farms touch grass for the first time in Marshall, Wisconsin.

Adoption process

What we know:

The beagles being cared for by the Wisconsin Humane Society will be available for adoption once they are cleared medically and behaviorally. Like all dogs in adoption, they will be spayed/neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated prior to adoption.  

Those interested in adoption should review the adoption process at www.wihumane.org/adopt in the coming days and weeks. 

Those interested in making a donation to help support their care can do so at: wihumane.me/Beagles2026.

Ridglan Farms beagles: HAWS accepting dogs freed from facility

The Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County is preparing to accept more than a dozen of the beagles recently freed from Ridglan Farms.

Ridglan Farms beagles

The backstory:

Ridglan Farms bred beagle puppies in the town of Blue Mounds for use in scientific research for more than 60 years. In 2024, former employees testified about the conditions at the farm as well as painful "cherry eye" surgeries performed routinely by non-veterinarians without pain relief.

In January 2025, a Dane County judge found probable cause that Ridglan Farms had committed crimes of animal cruelty. However, a special prosecutor appointed to investigate elected not to file charges. Instead, he agreed to a settlement that allows Ridglan Farms to avoid criminal charges if it surrenders its breeding license by July 1, 2026.

Where are the beagles?

Big picture view:

The Ridglan Farms beagles have headed all over the country since they were released. A growing number of states have welcomed the dogs – including neighboring Minnesota and Illinois, and as far as Florida, Nevada and New York.

Ridglan beagle rescue signals animal testing shift in America

The beagle rescue from Ridglan Farms is now ⅔ complete. But animal welfare advocates say this is just one step in a larger battle to end animal testing in America.

The Source: Information in this story is from the Wisconsin Humane Society and prior coverage related to the release of beagles from Ridglan Farms.

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