Ridglan Farms beagles begin leaving Wisconsin facility after rescue groups strike deal for release

The first van loads of beagles left Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin on Friday, beginning an effort to move roughly 1,500 of the 2,000 dogs from the controversial breeding facility into rescues and shelters across the country.

FOX6 Milwaukee reported that 300 dogs were removed from the Marshall, Wisconsin, facility Friday, with hundreds more expected to leave over at least the next 10 days. The dogs were screened by veterinarians, vaccinated and given Benadryl to guard against reactions before being transported to animal welfare groups.

The release follows a deal between Ridglan Farms, Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy to buy 1,500 of the facility’s roughly 2,000 beagles for an undisclosed price. The dogs are expected to receive medical exams, microchips and vaccinations before being evaluated for adoption, according to The Associated Press.

"It’s a very big win and I am ecstatic to have these dogs out and get them into loving homes," Lauree Simmons, president and founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, said in a statement.

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Hundreds of activists attempted to break through fencing to enter the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. (Dane County Sheriff’s Office)

Simmons said many of the dogs will need to learn basic home life, including walking on a leash and being housebroken.

The transfer marks a major turn in a years-long fight over Ridglan Farms, a Blue Mounds-area facility said to have bred beagles for scientific research for more than 60 years. Animal welfare advocates have long accused the facility of mistreating dogs and pushing them into painful experimentation.

Ridglan has denied mistreating animals and has said its work supports biomedical research benefiting both humans and animals.

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The facility agreed last year to surrender its state breeding license by July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges. A special prosecutor determined Ridglan had performed eye procedures on dogs that violated state veterinary standards.

The release comes days after Rep. Nicholas Langworthy, R-N.Y., urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya to cut off federal funding for research involving dogs sourced from Ridglan Farms.

"This issue is not about opposing scientific progress; it is about ensuring that federally funded research reflects both ethical standards and scientific advancement," Langworthy wrote in the April 24 letter.

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Langworthy called on NIH to provide a list of active grants and contracts involving dogs from Ridglan and other commercial breeders, "immediately suspend funding for any projects that relies on Ridglan beagles," and develop a timeline to phase out federal support for invasive research using dogs and cats bred for experimentation and euthanasia.

"The American people expect their tax dollars to reflect both fiscal responsibility and basic standards of humane treatment," Langworthy wrote. "Ending support for facilities that breed beagles for painful experimentation prior to euthanasia is consistent with those values."

An official from NIH told Fox News last month that the dog breeder does not receive grants directly from the NIH, despite some public claims.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration have worked to curb the funding of animal testing at NIH. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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"Ridglan Farms is a commercial dog breeder, not a research facility, and it does not receive NIH grants or funding," an NIH spokesman told Fox News in an email April 20. "NIH enforces strict policies to protect animal welfare and maintain rigorous oversight as the agency works to reduce reliance on animal models over time. 

"It actively supports the development and use of new approach methodologies (NAMs) and will continue to invest in these alternatives."

The Trump administration has worked to rid the U.S. government of testing on dogs under RFK Jr., it added.

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"The NIH recently announced a $150 million investment to expand human-based methods that better reflect human biology," the statement concluded. "This funding supports organoids, computational models, and other tools to improve how diseases and treatments are studied. The investment is part of a broader shift toward more predictive, human-relevant science."

While it is possible that institutions receiving NIH funding have purchased animals from Ridglan Farms, purchases made by independent grantees are not the same as NIH funding or supporting the vendor.

The dogs’ removal also follows a series of escalating protests at Ridglan. About 1,000 activists tried to enter the facility April 18 in an attempt to free the beagles, prompting a law enforcement response that included tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray. The Dane County Sheriff’s Department said 29 people were arrested.

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Activists had previously entered the facility in March and removed 30 beagles. Ridglan later described the April effort as an attack by a "violent mob," while activists accused police of using excessive force.

Animal rights attorneys from the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project at the University of Denver called the release "a testament to the determination and perseverance of activists in Wisconsin and around the country who never gave up on the dogs."

"This is their achievement," the group said in a statement to Fox News. "Every single one of the Ridglan dogs deserves a loving forever home just as much as those we already welcome into our families. Almost a thousand of them will now live out their lives in peace; the remaining dogs deserve nothing less and should also be released immediately."

"Next, we must end the abhorrent practice of dog experimentation entirely."

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The deal does not cover every dog at Ridglan. Advocates said they will continue pressing for the release of the remaining beagles still housed at the facility, while shelters in Wisconsin and beyond prepare to take in dogs that advocates say have never known life outside confinement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.