The first of 1,500 beagles being removed from a Wisconsin dog breeding and research business are adjusting to their new lives as animal welfare groups move them to shelters to prepare them for adoption.
Rescued Beagles Show Signs of Relief
According to Lauree Simmons, president and founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, the dogs quickly began seeking human attention. "They started within an hour or so coming up to us, wanting attention. Some crawled in people’s laps. Every single one of them are super sweet," Simmons said on Sunday. "I think they are loving the attention. I just know they know they’re safe."
Details of the Agreement
Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy negotiated a confidential agreement to purchase the 1,500 dogs for an undisclosed price from Ridglan Farms. The facility had been the site of protests, with police using tear gas and pepper spray to repel activists attempting to take beagles last month. In March, protesters broke into the facility and took 30 dogs, leading to 63 people being referred to the district attorney for potential charges.
Talks to purchase the animals began months before the April disturbance, and Simmons emphasized her group was not connected to the protests. Big Dog Ranch Rescue is now collaborating with partners nationwide to find homes for 1,000 of the dogs, while the Center for a Humane Economy will take the rest.
Adoption Process and Timeline
Simmons reported that her group has received over 700 adoption applications, but it may take time before the hounds are ready for new homes. The organization is screening potential owners, moving animals to shelters across the country, and ensuring the beagles are housebroken. The first 300 dogs were removed from Ridglan on Friday, with more scheduled for removal over the next week.
The animal groups have set up a staging area with play yards in Wisconsin, where the dogs are being vaccinated, microchipped, spayed or neutered, and prepared for transport. Big Dog Ranch Rescue has already started moving dogs to its location in western Palm Beach County, Florida.
"The younger dogs will adjust quicker, and the older dogs will take time," Simmons said. "A lot of them are more willing to accept love and want to be with people."
Background on Beagles in Research
Beagles are the most common breed used in animal testing due to their smaller size and gentle temperament. "A Belgian Malinois is not going to put up with being tested on, being confined in a kennel their whole life," Simmons said. "Beagles are just so trusting and docile and calm and forgiving, so they are the most chosen dogs for animal testing. And so we’re going to take one of the sweetest, kindest, most trusting breeds and abuse them? This is wrong. This needs to stop."
Legal and Regulatory Context
Ridglan Farms agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on felony animal mistreatment charges. The firm has denied mistreating animals, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.
About 1,000 activists from across the country came to Ridglan Farms in the rural village of Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Madison, on April 18 in an attempt to take the beagles. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray. The Dane County Sheriff’s Department reported 29 arrests, with five facing felony burglary charges.
Activists have filed a federal lawsuit in Wisconsin alleging that police used unnecessary force. Ridglan has described those who tried to break in as a "violent mob" who launched "an assault on a federally licensed research facility."
