Wisconsin Beagle Research Facility Closes as Rescue Takes 475 Dogs

A Wisconsin beagle breeding and research facility that drew violent protests is shutting down permanently. Big Dog Ranch Rescue said Monday it reached an agreement for the closure of Ridglan Farms and the transfer of its 475 remaining beagles.

“Not one dog will remain,” Lauree Simmons, the group’s founder, said at a news conference near the farm in Blue Mounds. “No more breeding, no more testing, no more anything.”

The facility, about 25 miles southwest of Madison, had been a target of animal welfare activists for years. In April, a large group stormed the property trying to take beagles. Police used tear gas and pepper spray and made dozens of arrests. In March, protesters broke in and took 30 dogs.

Big Dog Ranch Rescue bought roughly 1,500 of the facility’s more than 2,000 beagles in April for an undisclosed price. About 200 dogs were moved Monday. Another 125 are scheduled for Tuesday. The remaining beagles, still puppies, will be transferred in August.

Simmons called on protesters to stop demonstrations now that Ridglan Farms has committed to closing its dog breeding, sales, research and testing operations.

“Our focus now should be on supporting these dogs as they transition into their new lives,” Simmons said. “These dogs will get to experience safety and a normal life for the first time.”

She said her group is also working with the Trump administration to stop funding studies that subject dogs to “invasive and painful experimentation.” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the deal a “major win for animal welfare” in a post on X.

Ridglan Farms said in a statement that all the dogs being transferred are “happy, healthy animals” with “extensive” state and federal inspection documentation. The company said it hopes the “years-long harassment campaign targeting the research facility’s owners, staff and neighbors comes to an end.”

The facility agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on felony animal mistreatment charges. The firm has denied mistreating animals. A special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.

Beagles are the most common breed used in animal testing because of their smaller size and gentle temperament, according to Big Dog Ranch Rescue. The closure removes a major supplier of beagles for research, potentially affecting labs that relied on Ridglan Farms. Animal welfare advocates said the shutdown could reduce the supply of dogs for testing, though no immediate shortages have been reported.

Some of the beagles will go to rescue groups. Others will be sent to Big Dog Ranch Rescue’s Florida and Alabama campuses, where they will be spayed, neutered and prepared for adoption.