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Ridglan Farms beagles released, about 500 left behind
500 dogs are out and there's a thousand more to go. But when they're gone, an estimated 500 more will be left behind. Their fate remains uncertain.500 dogs are out and there's a thousand more to go. But when they're gone, an estimated 500 more will be left behind. Their fate remains uncertain.
DANE COUNTY, Wis. - 500 dogs are out and there's a thousand more to go.
But when they're gone, an estimated 500 more will be left behind. Their fate remains uncertain.
Heading across the country
What we know:
For animal lovers across the country, the release of the Ridglan beagles has been a catharsis.
"It feels really surreal," said Amy Van Aartsen with the Marty Project.
"This is very emotional," said Lauree Simmons with Big Dog Ranch Rescue.
"It’s really hard to put into words," said Jeffrey Brown from Madison.
"This is beagle heaven," said Wayne Pacelle with the Center for a Humane Economy.
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Ridglan Farms beagles: Dogs leave Wisconsin for New York, Virginia
Dozens of beagles, released from the Ridglan Farms breeding facility in Dane County, left from Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport on Saturday.
About 500 beagles to stay
What we know:
But the joy is tempered by a nagging concern for the ones that are not part of the deal.
"We are engaging in continuing discussions with Ridglan," added Pacelle.
According to USDA records, Ridglan Farms had 2,100 dogs in January. Now, rescue groups are buying 1,500, meaning hundreds more will be left behind.
Beagles at Ridglan
"What happens to those dogs?" asked FOX6 Investigator Bryan Polcyn. "I don't think I'm at liberty to say that, but we are not giving up on those dogs," replied Simmons.
Under the terms of a state settlement, Ridglan Farms must surrender its breeding license by July 1. But according to Tim Gruenke, the prosecutor who orchestrated the deal, Ridglan will still be able to experiment on them in-house. It just won't be able to sell them.
"That would violate the agreement we had, and my case would start up again," said Gruenke.
But Gruenke dismissed concerns that Ridglan is keeping female beagles behind to continue breeding on a large scale.
"I would just think that would mean they’d just have more to get rid of, because as you saw, they had to get rid of a lot of them that they couldn’t otherwise use," said Gruenke.
Beagles at Ridglan
In January, Ridglan counted 156 dogs under its USDA research license. In July, the company could deem hundreds more to be in-house research animals. But Gruenke believes that is unlikely.
"I don’t think they have the capacity for that many, so realistically, practically, probably not," said Gruenke.
Ongoing efforts
What's next:
For those devoted to freeing the beagles…"probably" won't do. Of the 500 beagles already removed from Ridglan farms, many are in Florida, Alabama, New Jersey, and even Chicago.
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Starting next Monday, the Dane County Humane Society will work to get another 500 dogs out.
Those will be staying here in the Midwest, including 150 coming to the Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee and Green Bay.
To learn more about fostering and adoption opportunities, head to the Wisconsin Humane Society website or the Dane County Humane Society website.
You can also head to Big Dog Ranch Rescue.
The Source: FOX6 has extensively reported on the beagles at Ridglan Farms, and interviewed several people working to get the beagles released, and the prosecutor who brokered the deal.