Wisconsin dog breeding farm faces violations, supervisors split on shutdown

BLUE MOUNDS, Wis. - There are new details about a FOX6 investigation into a controversial Wisconsin dog breeding farm.

County supervisors have pushed to shut it down, but now there is a new twist.

Supervisors tour the farm

What we know:

For years, videos that animal rights activists recorded in 2017 have been the only public window into Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, Wis. The company breeds beagle puppies for scientific experiments.

Outsiders have never been welcome – until this week.

A pair of Dane County supervisors got a private tour, with one condition: no pictures or video allowed. District 16 Supervisor Rick Rose and District 25 David Boetcher are two of the 37 supervisors on the Dane County Board.

Clashing opinions

What they're saying:

"It’s horrific, in my opinion," Rose said. "They will tell you it’s because these dogs are biomedical and they don’t want their images out there. I would question that. I mean, a beagle’s a beagle to most people."

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"It’s not great to see dogs in cages," Boetcher said.

They are among a handful of supervisors who drafted a resolution that calls on the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to immediately revoke Ridglan’s breeding license and take the dogs into the state’s custodial care.

"Do you believe Ridglan should be shut down?" Polcyn asked.

"I do," Rose said. "You really can’t take those dogs out to see sunlight, to touch grass."

Rose said he was emotionally impacted by the stacks of cages housing dogs 24 hours a day.

"I found it to be a very clean facility," Rose added. "But the point is, you know, you can only imagine these dogs jumping at you, six to a cage in some cases."

Boetcher had a different reaction.

"For the number of dogs they had there, the facilities were very clean, they were well maintained," he said. "It was as good as Dane County Humane Society."

Ridglan Farms is facing more than 300 violations of the state’s animal health code, a potential fine of more than $50,000 and possible criminal charges.

But Boetcher appears to be second-guessing the resolution he helped write.

"As we sit here today, do you believe Ridglan Farms should be shut down?" Polcyn asked.

"I don’t," Boetcher said. "I don’t think they should be shut down. I think they need to be monitored."

Rose said his resolve hasn’t changed.

"It affected me to think these dogs will never see the light of day unless we’re able to pass this resolution and move forward and open those doors," he said.

Ridglan Farms responds

The other side:

Attorney for Ridglan Farms, Eric McLeod, provided the following statement:

"Ridglan Farms disputes the factual and legal basis for DATCP’s alleged violations.  To be clear, these are allegations.

We are pleased to hear the supervisors acknowledge that the facility is clean and well maintained.  The request to view the facility was made earlier this week and the supervisors were able to see the facility on very short notice.  Ridglan Farms does not allow the use of cameras in its facilities for security reasons."

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The next steps

What's next:

Sponsors of the resolution now plan to ask for a postponement to rework their proposal.

Meanwhile, the DATCP said unless Ridglan agrees to a $50,000 fine for the 311 code violations, it will refer the case to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

A special prosecutor is already investigating potential criminal charges.

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