A controversial beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin is shutting down, bringing an end to years of criticism and protest. The remaining 475 dogs at Ridglan Farms will be transferred to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, a Florida-based animal rescue organization, beginning this week.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced Monday that it had reached an agreement to permanently close the facility and relocate all of the beagles still on the property. Speaking at a news conference at a Wisconsin farm, founder Lauree Simmons made the group’s goal clear: “Not one dog will remain,” she said. “No more breeding, no more testing, no more anything.”
The closure follows a long period of opposition to Ridglan Farms, which is located in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles southwest of Madison. Tensions escalated sharply in April, when a large group of animal welfare activists entered the property in an effort to remove beagles. Police responded with tear gas and pepper spray and made dozens of arrests.
The unrest had already been building. In March, several protesters were arrested after breaking into the facility and taking 30 dogs.
According to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, some of the beagles will be placed with other rescue organizations. Others will be transported to the group’s campuses in Florida and Alabama, where they will be spayed or neutered and readied for adoption.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue said some of the beagles will go to rescue groups while others will be sent to its Florida and Alabama campuses where they will be spayed, neutered, and prepared for adoption.
The group bought roughly 1,500 of the facility’s more than 2,000 beagles in April for an undisclosed price.
About 200 dogs were being transferred Monday, according to Simmons. Another 125 will be moved Tuesday. The transfer of the remaining beagles will happen in August, as they are still puppies.
Simmons called on protesters to refrain from further demonstrations as it says Ridglan Farms has committed to permanently 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.”
Simmons said her group is also “working closely” with the Trump administration to stop funding studies that subject dogs to “invasive and painful experimentation.”
RELATED | 1,500 beagles will get new lives, warm laps after release from research facility
Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., called Monday’s deal a “major win for animal welfare” in a post on X.
Ridglan Farms, in a statement, said all the dogs being transferred are “happy, healthy animals” with “extensive” state and federal inspection documentation.
“We hope these dogs will continue to flourish in their new homes,” the company said, adding that it hopes that the “years-long harassment campaign targeting the research facility’s owners, staff and neighbors comes to an end.”
Animal activists for years had sought to have dogs at the facility adopted, not sold to other research facilities.
Beagles are the most common breed of dog used for animal testing, primarily because of their smaller size and gentle temperament, according to Big Dog Ranch Rescue.
Ridglan Farms 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, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
