A beagle breeding facility in the state of Wisconsin is now giving up its remaining dogs, according to the facility itself and several rescue groups who issued statements on June 15, 2026. The groups also stated that the facility will be closed down for good, a major victory for these amazing animals and the people who have fought for them, including Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Ridglan Farms, located in Blue Mounds, which ended up pulling in hundreds of protesters back in April 2026, is now transferring all of the beagles it has left. The facility put out a statement saying that the dogs are “happy, healthy animals” all with extensive state and federal inspection documentation. “We hope these dogs will continue to flourish in their new homes,” the company went on to say.
It added that it hopes that the “years-long harassment campaign targeting the research facility’s owners, staff and neighbors comes to an end.” A Florida-based rescue group, Big Dog Ranch Rescue, revealed that the 475 remaining beagles would be transported to facilities in the Sunshine State and Alabama. Some of the animals will be spayed or neutered and then prepared for adoption.
“Not one dog will remain,” Lauree Simmons, the organization’s founder, stated during a news conference held at a farm in Wisconsin, according to The Epoch Times. “No more breeding, no more testing, no more anything,” she continued. Simmons explained that the agreement also featured the permanent closure of Ridglan Farms, as did the Center for a Humane Economy, citing several conversations with one of the facility’s lawyers and two of its employees.
“I didn’t want to wait any longer to share this extraordinary news of Ridglan’s impending closure, since it has been such an eagerly awaited outcome for many millions of Americans,” Wayne Pacelle, president of the center, remarked in a statement. Ridglan Farms states on its official website that its main mission is “to provide Purpose Bred Beagles for research that increases and exceeds the expectations of the research community.”
Secretary Kennedy published a video statement welcoming the news of the dogs’ transfer. He called it a “major win for animal welfare.” Ridglan Farms agreed in 2025 to surrender its state breeding license as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on felony animal mistreatment charges. The facility, of course, denied it ever abused or mistreated the dogs, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.
In March 2026, a group of protesters broke into the facility and stole 30 dogs. Over the course of the next several months, hundreds of activists tried to enter Ridglan Farms, but were prevented from doing so by local law enforcement officers. Multiple individuals were arrested during those demonstrations. Ridglan Farms then attempted to play the victim card later in its statement.
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“Wisconsin’s legal system will hold accountable the individuals who organized and carried out the repeated violent assaults and thefts that have recently taken place at our facility,” the statement read. Prior to the announcement on June 15, Big Dog Ranch Rescue had bought over 1,500 of the facility’s more than 2,000 beagles for an undisclosed price.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video