Saving the Ridglan Beagles

Located outside Madison, Wisconsin is Ridglan Farms, a medical research facility.

Ridglan breeds dogs, specifically beagles, for experimentation.

Because beagles naturally have a friendly, docile temperment, it makes them preferred subjects in the labratory.  

Ridglan asserts that their research using these dogs provides valuable information and treatments for rabies, canine parvovirus, heartworm, dog arthritis and distemper.

Ridglan also insists that accusations of animal cruelty are untrue and unfounded.  

But even a well tended life in a cage is still a life in a cage.  These beagles are born, live their short lives and die without seeing the sky, feeling grass underneath their paws.   

And as for that alleged lack of animal cruelty, there is a prosecutor in Dane County, Wis. with a different assessment.

The prosecutor concluded that Ridglan Farms’ treatment of beagles, specifically how they conducted eye surgeries on the beagles without anesthesia or pain management, violated state veterinary standards and constituted animal mistreatment.

Well, that's some kind of messed up shit, if you ask me.  

Various animal rights activitists and dog rescue groups have mounted protests and even raids on the facility to retrieve dozens of dogs.  Protestors took their greivances with Ridglan to the Wisconsin State Capitol.

Behind the scenes, rescue organizations negotiated a purchase agreement for 1,500 dogs from Ridglan. 

What followed was a national groundswell of support for these beautiful beagles, bounding across grass fields and wiggling happily in the arms of humans who want only to love and care for them.  

Below is a series of clips from various news outlets covering this incredible tale of these sweet and gentle creatures.

Sadly, Ridglan Farms is still a thing and they still possess approximately 500 beagles for medical research.  

So that part of the story is not over.

But for 1,500 beagles, their stories are also not over but will continue free from cages and darkness but finding their forever homes where they will know love and compassion.