Dane County, Wisconsin – Approximately 20 activists were arrested last week after breaking into Ridglan Farms and freeing dozens of dogs from the large-scale beagle breeding facility. According to reports, upwards of 60 activists broke into the Town of Blue Mounds facility where beagles are bred for research.
Approximately 31 beagles were freed from their cages and removed from the property. Unconfirmed reports state that 23 of the dogs were taken to an undisclosed location, with eight being returned to the facility. In a statement, Ridglan said they intend to press charges against those who participated in the break-in.
Ridglan historically operated as both a large-scale commercial breeder of beagles for the biomedical research industry and a licensed research facility, supplying thousands of dogs to pharmaceutical companies, universities, and contract testing laboratories while also conducting a smaller portion of studies on-site under veterinary supervision. The facility has long been part of the upstream pipeline for animal research in the United States, specializing in breeding dogs with consistent genetics and health profiles for use in safety testing and other experiments.
Ridglan Farms has been under ongoing scrutiny for concerning conditions at their facility. To avoid facing criminal charges, they agreed to surrender their breeding license by July 1, 2026, but they will still be able to do research on the dogs on site.
Read more about Ridglan at this link.
independent investigations and reporting.
