Over 1,500 beagles rescued from Wisconsin facility where dogs were bred for animal testing

More than 1,500 beagles bred for animal testing are being moved out of Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin and sent to shelters and rescue groups across the country, according to reports by FOX 9’s Bryan Polcyn and WISN 12 News’ Emily Pofahl.

The dogs came from Ridglan Farms in Dane County, a long-running beagle breeding and research facility that has sold dogs to laboratories for experiments for decades. Polcyn reported that the farm had more than 2,000 dogs at the beginning of the year, and while 1,500 are now being released, hundreds may still remain.

Pofahl reported from Dane County as the first waves of dogs were checked by veterinarians, prepared for travel, and allowed to feel grass and sunshine after life inside cages.

For rescuers and animal advocates, the scene was emotional, but it was also just the start of a much larger effort to move, treat, socialize, and eventually place the beagles in homes.

A Facility Under Scrutiny For Years

Polcyn told FOX 9 that Ridglan Farms has operated in western Dane County since 1966, breeding beagle puppies for sale to research laboratories.

He said the story drew wider attention in 2017, when activists went inside the facility, removed three beagles, and were later criminally charged. Ridglan Farms eventually dropped those charges, and the activists later helped push for a special prosecutor to investigate possible animal cruelty inside the facility.

According to Polcyn, that special prosecutor was appointed last year and ultimately decided in the fall of 2025 to settle with Ridglan Farms instead of filing criminal charges, as long as the facility agreed to surrender its state license to sell dogs by July 1.

Pofahl reported that the agreement involved special prosecutor Tim Gruenke, who also serves as the district attorney in La Crosse County. When investigative reporter James Stratton asked Gruenke last month whether Ridglan Farms had settled to avoid a possible felony mistreatment of animals charge, Gruenke answered, “Correct.”

That background gives the rescue a different weight. This was not only a sudden transfer of animals from one place to another; it followed years of pressure, legal action, activism, break-ins, accusations, and negotiations over what was happening inside the facility.

Rescue Groups Bought 1,500 Beagles

Polcyn reported that two organizations, Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy, put together the money and negotiated with Ridglan Farms to acquire 1,500 of the beagles.

Pofahl also reported that those two groups announced the agreement and then began working with partner organizations to treat, socialize, and eventually adopt the dogs out to families in Wisconsin and across the country.

The scale of the operation is enormous. Polcyn said 1,500 beagles is a “massive rescue,” requiring shelters and rescue organizations around the country to take in groups of dogs, prepare them medically and behaviorally, and then help them adjust to ordinary home life.

Some of the dogs are headed to Minnesota, where The Bond Between, the Animal Humane Society, Ruff Start Rescue, and Tri-County Humane Society are expected to take in nearly 100 beagles. Polcyn reported that rescue groups in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Florida, Alabama, New York, and other states are part of the broader effort.

Pofahl reported that about 500 of the dogs will remain in Wisconsin, while the rest will be sent out of state. The Wisconsin Humane Society is expected to take in 150 beagles and make them available for adoption once they are medically and behaviorally cleared.

This is the part of the story where the emotional rescue meets the practical reality. Saving the dogs from the facility is only the first step; the harder and quieter work begins afterward, when frightened or unsocialized animals have to learn what normal life is.

First Time In The Grass And Sun

Pofahl’s report captured some of the first moments after groups of beagles were removed from the facility, showing dogs getting veterinary checks and time outside.

She said Big Dog Ranch Rescue brought in 12 veterinarians and veterinary technicians to examine the animals, give vaccines, administer Benadryl to help prevent vaccine reactions, microchip them, and clear them for travel.

“They just got their vaccines and a little Benadryl, so they didn’t have a reaction to the vaccine, and microchip,” one rescuer said in Pofahl’s report, explaining why some of the dogs might appear a little docile.

Pofahl said the beagles were being packed up and prepared to move to rescue groups, including Big Dog Ranch Rescue’s home base in Florida, while others were allowed to play in the grass and enjoy the sunshine.

“We’ve really watched them transform,” Pofahl said, noting that the dogs arrived timid and quiet before becoming more excited once they had time outside.

Polcyn made a similar point, telling FOX 9 that many of the beagles had been living inside cages since birth. For some of them, he said, this was the first time they had seen grass or the sun.

That image is difficult to forget because it shows how basic the next stage of their lives may be. A soft bed, a yard, a toy, a gentle hand, and a routine are normal things for many pets, but for these dogs, rescue groups say almost everything about ordinary life will be new.

Shelters Say The Dogs Will Need Time

Polcyn reported that rescue organizations taking in the beagles will need to make sure the dogs are ready before they are adopted into homes.

Ruff Start Rescue said the dogs will need medical care, patience, and compassionate foster homes as they adjust after leaving the breeding facility.

“These beagles will need time, patience, veterinary care, and compassionate foster homes to help them learn how to simply be dogs,” the organization said, according to Polcyn’s report.

The group added that normal life will be brand new to them, including toys, soft beds, backyards, affection, routines, and “freedom itself.”

That sentence says a lot without needing to overstate the point. The rescue may look joyful from the outside, especially when people see dogs stepping onto grass, but the transition could be slow and delicate for animals that have not lived as family pets.

Some may be shy, confused, or overwhelmed. Others may warm up quickly. The work of shelters and foster homes will be to meet each dog where it is, not where people wish it already were.

Hundreds Of Dogs May Still Remain

While the rescue of 1,500 beagles is significant, Polcyn reported that it is still unclear what will happen to the remaining animals at Ridglan Farms.

He said that after July 1, the facility will have to surrender its state license, meaning it will no longer be able to breed dogs for sale. However, Polcyn reported that Ridglan Farms may still be able to breed dogs internally and conduct research on them in-house.

At the most recent USDA inspection, Polcyn said there were 156 dogs on the research side and nearly a couple thousand on the breeding and sale side. He said the unresolved question is whether the remaining 500 or 600 dogs will be moved under the research arm, sold before July 1, or possibly released through later negotiations.

Polcyn said the rescue groups that purchased the 1,500 beagles wanted to buy more, but Ridglan Farms would not sell the additional dogs at that time. He added that the groups hope to continue talks after the first wave of dogs is moved out.

Ridglan Farms, meanwhile, issued a statement reported by Pofahl saying its dogs are “happy, healthy and well cared for,” and that publicly available USDA documentation shows this has been the case for many years.

The facility also said it is finalizing arrangements for the remaining dogs, but because it has been the site of what it called “mass attacks and break-ins by extremists,” it could not share updated animal numbers for the safety of staff and animals.

A Rescue With A Long Road Ahead

Pofahl reported that the removal process will continue over multiple days, with rescuers repeating the same cycle of care, checkups, and transport again and again.

“Monday, we start all over again. Tuesday we start all over again and just keep going,” one rescuer said in her report.

That is the less visible side of a story like this. The public may see the number, 1,500 beagles, and understand it as one large rescue, but on the ground it is a dog-by-dog process involving crates, vaccines, microchips, transportation, shelter space, foster homes, behavior checks, and adoption planning.

It is also a reminder of how beagles, known for their gentle temperaments and small size, have often been used in research settings in ways many people never see. Stories like this pull that hidden world into public view, which is why they tend to draw such strong reactions.

Polcyn and Pofahl both showed that the rescue is not finished simply because the dogs left the farm. Their next chapter depends on the shelters and families willing to give them time to learn how to live outside a facility.

For the beagles now leaving Ridglan Farms, the first step was grass, sunlight, and a ride away from the place where they were born.

What comes next will be slower, quieter, and just as important: helping them become pets.