DANE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) – Sixteen of the beagles who were once inside a controversial breeding facility are now on their way to shelters and adoption facilities, according to a nonprofit on the east coast. 

Pilots to the Rescue was founded in 2015. Founder and Executive Director Michael Schneider said the New Jersey-based nonprofit has rescued over 6,000 animals to date. By transporting pets to available shelters by air, Schneider said they put animals in a position to find new homes. 

“We rescue dogs and cats from overcrowded shelters that are slated to be euthanized so they can be adopted by loving homes,” Schneider said. “By providing transportation, we give these animals a better chance for success.” 

The national attention on Ridgeland Farms came to a head on April 18, when around 400 protesters broke into the property, leading to a standoff with the Dane County Sheriff’s Offices. Protestors claimed the animals were living in poor conditions. 

On Thursday, the Center for a Humane Economy and Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced they worked together to reach an agreement with the facility to recover 1,500 of the nearly 2,000 beagles. 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. 

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. 

Ridglan Farms maintains it is not doing anything wrong or illegal.  

You can learn more about Pilots to the Rescue on the nonprofit’s website.