The first beagles removed from a Wisconsin dog breeding and research facility connected to recent animal-welfare protests appeared to settle quickly with rescuers, according to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, which said the animals were seeking attention soon after they were taken into care.
Lauree Simmons, president and founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, described the early response as immediate and affectionate. She said some of the dogs approached people within about an hour, with some crawling into people’s laps, adding that every beagle involved in the initial transfer was “super sweet.” Simmons said she believed the dogs appeared to understand they were safe.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue said it and the Center for a Humane Economy negotiated a confidential agreement with Ridglan Farms to purchase the 1,500 beagles for an undisclosed price. Simmons said her group is working with partners nationwide to find homes for 1,000 of the dogs, while the Center for a Humane Economy takes the rest, and she said Big Dog Ranch Rescue has received more than 700 adoption applications.
Simmons said the groups’ talks to purchase the animals began months before the April disturbance and that Big Dog Ranch Rescue was not connected to the protests. She said the rescue operation includes screening potential adopters, moving dogs to shelters around the country, and preparing the beagles for new homes, including ensuring they are housebroken.
The initial removals began Friday, when the groups took the first 300 dogs from Ridglan. Simmons said more dogs were scheduled for removal over the next week. The rescue groups set up a staging area in Wisconsin with play yards where the dogs are being vaccinated, microchipped, and spayed or neutered, and where they are being prepared for transport, she said.
Simmons added that Big Dog Ranch Rescue had already started moving dogs to its location in western Palm Beach County, Florida, and she said the timing for adjustment may differ by age. She said younger dogs often adapt quicker, while older dogs “will take time,” describing the shift as a gradual process in which many dogs become more willing to accept care.
A key backdrop to the rescue was the protest on April 18 at Ridglan Farms, in the rural village of Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Madison. Officials said about 1,000 activists came to the site in an attempt to take the beagles, and police used tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray. The Dane County Sheriff’s Department said 29 people were arrested and five faced felony burglary charges, and this story has been covered previously by MSI on April 18.
Simmons also addressed earlier attempts connected to the facility, saying protesters broke into the farm in March and took 30 dogs. She said 63 people were referred by the sheriff’s department to the district attorney for potential charges related to that break-in.
Ridglan Farms, which did not respond immediately to messages seeking comment, has previously said those who tried to break in were a “violent mob” that launched “an assault on a federally licensed research facility.” Activists have also filed a federal lawsuit in Wisconsin alleging police used unnecessary force.
Simmons said beagles are commonly used for animal testing because of their smaller size and temperament, and she argued that the dogs’ behavior showed why the practice should end. She said police and military often use Belgian Malinois and pointed to differences she described in animals’ willingness to tolerate confinement, saying beagles are “just so trusting and docile and calm and forgiving” and asking why one would “take one of the sweetest, kindest, most trusting breeds and abuse them.”
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, and a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.