BLUE MOUNDS, Wis. - A beagle rescued from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, Wis. and brought to Florida has died after escaping from his adopter’s fence, according to Big Dog Ranch Rescue.
What we know:
The rescue identified the dog as Omelette, a former laboratory beagle.
"It is with unimaginable heartbreak that we share that Omelette has passed away," Big Dog Ranch Rescue said in a Facebook post.
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The rescue said it received a call on Sunday that Omelette had escaped through his adopter’s fence. The group said its team immediately posted on social media, Nextdoor and missing pet platforms, then sent a team to search for him.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue said the search continued Tuesday morning, when crews brought a humane trap to the area. The rescue said Omelette was found in a nearby canal.
Based on the circumstances, the rescue said it believes the dog likely fell victim to an alligator attack.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue said Omelette’s adopter had been given a Fi GPS tracking collar and instructions for how to activate it. According to the rescue, the adopter said he needed to clear storage on his phone to download the app and planned to do so when he got home.
The rescue said the tracking system was not activated before Omelette escaped.
Moving forward, Big Dog Ranch Rescue said no dog will leave the rescue until staff personally verify that the GPS tracking system has been installed and activated.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue said Omelette was loved by its staff, volunteers and the people who followed his story.
The backstory:
Omelette was one of the beagles released from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds. FOX6 previously reported 135 more beagles were expected to be released from Ridglan Farms in early June, bringing the number removed from the facility to 1,635.
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Big Dog Ranch Rescue was set to take 67 of those dogs to its Florida campus, where they would be spayed or neutered and prepared for adoption.
FOX6 Investigators previously reported Ridglan Farms bred beagle puppies for use in scientific research for more than 60 years. In January 2025, a Dane County judge found probable cause that Ridglan Farms had committed crimes of animal cruelty, but a special prosecutor later chose not to file charges and reached a settlement requiring Ridglan Farms to surrender its breeding license by July 1, 2026.
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The Source: The information in this report came from Big Dog Ranch Rescue and prior FOX6 Investigators coverage.