{"id":15252,"date":"2026-06-15T22:01:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T22:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15252"},"modified":"2026-06-15T22:01:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T22:01:44","slug":"wisconsin-beagle-research-facility-that-drew-protests-is-closing-as-rescue-group-takes-in-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15252","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin beagle research facility that drew protests is closing as rescue group takes in dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By PHILIP MARCELO<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Wisconsin beagle breeding and research facility that\u2019s been the site of recent violent protests is closing, and its remaining dogs are being taken in by a Florida rescue group.<\/p>\n

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Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced Monday that it has reached an agreement for the permanent closure of Ridglan Farms and the transfer of its 475 remaining beagles starting this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot one dog will remain,\u201d Lauree Simmons, the group\u2019s founder, said in a news conference at a farm in Wisconsin. \u201cNo more breeding, no more testing, no more anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yearslong opposition to the facility came to head in April when a large group of animal welfare activists stormed the property in an attempt to take away beagles, prompting police to use tear gas and pepper spray as they made dozens of arrests.<\/p>\n

Some protesters were also arrested in March after they broke in and took 30 dogs from the facility, which is located in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The group bought roughly 1,500 of the facility\u2019s more than 2,000 beagles in April for an undisclosed price.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus now should be on supporting these dogs as they transition into their new lives,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cThese dogs will get to experience safety and a normal life for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Simmons said her group is also \u201cworking closely\u201d with the Trump administration to stop funding studies that subject dogs to \u201cinvasive and painful experimentation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Trump\u2019s Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., called Monday\u2019s deal a \u201cmajor win for animal welfare\u201d in a post on X.<\/p>\n

Ridglan Farms, in a statement, said all the dogs being transferred are \u201chappy, healthy animals\u201d with \u201cextensive\u201d state and federal inspection documentation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope these dogs will continue to flourish in their new homes,\u201d the company said, adding that it hopes that the \u201cyears-long harassment campaign targeting the research facility\u2019s owners, staff and neighbors comes to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Animal activists for years had sought to have dogs at the facility adopted, not sold to other research facilities.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The firm has denied mistreating animals, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.<\/p>\n

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Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced Monday that it has reached an agreement for the permanent closure of Ridglan Farms and the transfer of its 475 remaining beagles starting this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWisconsin beagle research facility that drew protests is closing as rescue group takes in dogs - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=15252\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wisconsin beagle research facility that drew protests is closing as rescue group takes in dogs - 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