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Wisconsin dog breeding farm under scrutiny
A Dane County beagle breeding farm at the center of ongoing controversy is facing new scrutiny after records show it shipped puppies younger than Wisconsin law allows.
MADISON, Wis. - UPDATE: A FOX6 investigation led Wisconsin regulators to change their mind on the sale of 5-week-old puppies for research. Read the latest.
A Dane County beagle breeding farm at the center of ongoing controversy is facing new scrutiny after records show it shipped puppies younger than Wisconsin law allows.
What we know:
Ridglan Farms, which raises beagles for scientific research, reportedly sent 40 puppies to an out-of-state buyer in March while they were still just five weeks old. Wisconsin law prohibits transferring dogs younger than seven weeks.
Ridglan told FOX6 News it received special permission from the state to sell dogs that young, but the breeder has not yet provided documentation.
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What they're saying:
"What are we doing? Why are we allowing that? Why would we allow them to sell 5-week-old puppies?" said Rebekah Robinson of Dane4Dogs. "Is there anything that our government will actually stand up to Ridglan Farms on? That’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for our government officials to stand up to Ridglan Farms and say, enough is enough."
The Ridglan Farms video clips were recorded on Oct. 7.
Courtesy of Ridglan Farms
"Ridglan Farms chose to release this footage because we realize many Wisconsin residents wrongly assume the videos previously distributed by animal research opponents are an accurate reflection of our facility. They are not," explained Dr. James Burns, D.V.M. a partner at Ridglan Farms. "These previous videos were obtained by individuals who entered our property in the middle of the night as our animals were sleeping. They then went into our buildings, turned on lights and disturbed our dogs to shoot video suggesting that our animals are in distress. However, as our footage shows, along with extensive USDA documentation, this is not the case. When strangers are not present, holding their cameras within inches of our animals or running past cages, these animals display completely normal behavior. This video shot in a typical, daily setting reflects the reality that our animals are happy, healthy and in excellent physical and mental condition."
Courtesy of Ridglan Farms
Dig deeper:
For the first time, Ridglan released its own video, showing select areas inside its Blue Mounds facility. A company spokesman said the video demonstrates that animals are kept in "highly social, clean and well-cared for settings."
But Ridglan has not allowed FOX6 to tour the facility or film inside.
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Animal rights groups, meanwhile, point to video footage captured eight years ago as evidence of ongoing problems.
Courtesy of Ridglan Farms
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, the Dane County Board of Supervisors is preparing to vote this week on a resolution calling for Ridglan’s license to be revoked. A special prosecutor said he should have a public announcement any day now.
Wisconsin dog breeder sues activists, judge hears oral arguments
Ridglan Farms, a controversial Wisconsin beagle-breeding farm, said Dane4Dogs activists interfered with its business. Oral arguments were made Thursday.
The Source: Information in this post was produced by FOX6 Investigators.