Ridglan Farms beagles: Hundreds of dogs remain inside, what's next?
Ridglan Farms beagles: Hundreds of dogs remain inside
Rescue groups have removed all 1,500 beagles they bought from Ridglan Farms. Now, they say they intend to "kick-start" discussions with the Wisconsin breeding facility about the estimated hundreds of dogs still inside.
MILWAUKEE - Rescue groups have removed all 1,500 beagles they bought from Ridglan Farms. Now, they say they intend to "kick-start" discussions with the Wisconsin breeding facility about the estimated hundreds of dogs still inside.
Remaining dogs
What they're saying:
In a statement, Ridglan Farms said it is "finalizing arrangements" for the remaining beagles but would not say what those arrangements are or how many dogs it still has.
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What's next:
Wayne Hsiung, the animal rights activist charged with orchestrating raids on Ridglan Farms in March and April, has announced his next move.
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.
"We saved 1,000-plus dogs already at Ridglan Farms. We’re trying to get the last few hundred out," he said. "It’s time to think about what the next stage is, and the next stage I propose is Marshall Bioresources in upstate New York."
Marshall Bioresources is the nation's largest breeder of laboratory beagles – eight times the size of Ridglan Farms. Hsiung called it the "Death Star" of animal research.
Help from students
Local perspective:
Students in Milwaukee's Marshall High School Health Sciences Pathway Program are hand-making blankets for beagles that arrived at the Wisconsin Humane Society.
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"We decided that as a project, because we've been watching the news, and we heard about all the influctuation of the dogs that are coming from the farm incident that happened," said lead teacher Precious Lefer-Johnson. "We decided, well let's do something to help."
The Wisconsin Humane Society picked up about 130 of the Ridglan Farms beagles throughout the week, bringing them to the Milwaukee and Green Bay campuses.
Students in Milwaukee's Marshall High School Health Sciences Pathway Program making blankets for beagles that arrived at the Wisconsin Humane Society.
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.
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Rescued Ridglan Farms beagles adjust to life beyond the cage
As rescues and shelters near the end of their mission to remove beagles from Ridglan Farms, some of the dogs are already adapting to new homes.
The Source: Information in this story is from interviews, statements and prior coverage related to the Ridglan Farms beagles.