Rescue deal reached for hundreds of beagles at controversial Ridglan Farms

About 1,500 of the nearly 2,000 Ridglan Farms beagles are being rescued. It comes after two organizations negotiated a contract with Ridglan Farms. The organizations the Center for a Humane Economy and Big Dog Ranch Rescue worked together to reach an agreement with the facility. They were vague about the details, only stating they had been working on it since before activists attempted to take the dogs from the property.

“We are not just moving dogs, we are preparing them for life,” Lauree Simmons, founder and president of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, said.
According to information on Big Dog Ranch Rescue’s website, it is the largest cage-free, no-kill dog rescue in the United States. One of its board members, Lara Trump the wife of Eric Trump, the president’s third child is on the board of directors and supported the rescue of the dogs.

While the exact details of the agreement and where all of the dogs will go remain unclear, here’s what is known: The Dane County Humane Society will process 500 of the dogs and then send them to more than 50 partner rescues across the country. Of those, 150 dogs will be taken in by the Wisconsin Humane Society and eventually be up for adoption. A total of 350 will be up for adoption across the state. Big Dog Ranch Rescue will take the remaining 1,000 dogs, which will be spread out across the country.

“We can rescue our way out of these problems. We need front-end solutions in order to protect these animals from treatment broadly that is unacceptable in our modern era,” Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy, said.

The Center for a Humane Economy has been lobbying for a ban on animal testing for several years. In 2022, the organization successfully championed the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, which was signed into law in December and eliminated the federal mandate for animal testing in new drug development.

“The only way we are going to solve this problem is if the United States takes the next set of steps to defund grant-making to research institutions and others that are using beagles and primates and other animals,” Pacelle said.

Now, both organizations are advocating for the FDA Modernization Act 3.0. Pacelle says it has already passed out of the Senate, where both of Wisconsin’s senators voted in favor. The bipartisan effort would fully implement the 2022 law by requiring the FDA to update regulations within one year, replacing animal testing requirements with modern “nonclinical” alternatives such as AI. Its overall goal is to reduce animal suffering.

“I am very disappointed in House Republican leaders for not moving the FDA Modernization Act 3.0. It has tremendous bipartisan support,” Pacelle said. “Lots of Republicans are behind this legislation.”

Many of the dogs are being picked up from Ridglan Farms tomorrow, but the entire process will take a couple of weeks. The dogs will eventually be up for adoption, but not until they are ready.

For more information about the dogs, visit the Dane County Humane Society’s website or Big Dog Ranch Rescue for details.

BLUE MOUNDS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Animal welfare groups say 1,500 beagles will be transferred from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds under a new agreement announced Thursday, April 30.

According to a press release, the Center for a Humane Economy and Big Dog Ranch Rescue reached the deal with the Wisconsin breeder, which supplies dogs for laboratory research. The groups say the beagles will be moved in phases, then treated, socialized and adopted out to families in Wisconsin and across the country.

The release says Big Dog Ranch Rescue will take about 1,000 dogs, while the Center for a Humane Economy will work with partner groups to place 500 more.

That number includes 150 beagles being welcomed at the Wisconsin Humane Society. WHS also invites anyone looking to help with the beagle effort to click here to make a contribution.

Ridglan Farms will continue housing some remaining dogs, according to the release, with a pathway being in place to transfer ownership in time.