On a Tuesday afternoon in the barn of the Dane County Humane Society, pop star Debbie Gibson cradled a beagle and told it that its new life was starting. Beside her, Geezer Butler, the legendary bassist of Black Sabbath, held another of the roughly 500 beagles recently transported from Ridglan Farms, a breeding and research facility outside Madison that has drawn years of scrutiny from animal-welfare groups. The two musicians, from the polar extremes of pop and heavy metal, had come to praise a massive effort to rescue and rehome 1,500 dogs that had spent their lives as laboratory test subjects.
“It was so profound to be able to hold each of these dogs in our arms and be able to assure them that their new life was starting,” Gibson said. “Today was a very emotional day.”
The Center for a Humane Economy and Florida’s Big Dog Ranch Rescue, both opposed to animal testing, purchased the dogs from Ridglan Farms for an undisclosed amount last month. The sale was announced days after a confrontation outside the facility in which police used tear gas and pepper spray to turn back activists who said they were there to take the dogs. Protesters had broken into the facility in March and removed 30 dogs.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy, said the response from the public has been overwhelming. “It’s not a tough sell to get beagles into homes,” he said. Amy Good, marketing director of the Dane County Humane Society, said more than 1,300 people have reached out to that organization alone about adopting the dogs. The first 1,000 dogs were removed earlier this month and are in temporary shelters with partner agencies; the remaining 500 began arriving at the humane society this week.
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 company has denied mistreating animals, but a special prosecutor found that it was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.
Butler, who said he has five dogs and five cats at home, called the day a historic moment for ending animal experimentation. “They’ve never let me down,” he said of his pets. “They’re always loving.” Gibson, who released her debut album at age 16 in 1987, said she planned to foster and possibly adopt one of the beagles she met Tuesday. “This little guy was the last one put in my arms, and I couldn’t put him back in a cage,” she said, holding the dog as she spoke.
Asked whether the two might ever collaborate on a song about dogs, Butler smiled. “Maybe,” he said, a beagle still on his lap.