DANE COUNTY, Wis. – The last Ridglan Farms beagles left the Wisconsin facility on Wednesday, marking an end to a years-long animal rights campaign and legal battle.
The last beagles
Local perspective:
Big Dog Ranch Rescue, a large-scale nonprofit that helped secure the dogs’ release, said there were 155 beagles still inside – 14 adult dogs and 141 puppies, many as young as three or four months.
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Those dogs have now been released. They were taken for medical screenings and their first chance to touch grass at a group of small, private farms in Marshall. It brings the total number of rescued beagles to more than 2,100 since May 1.
“It’s amazing to know the last beagle is out, and to know that Ridglan Farms will never hurt another dog again,” said Jenifer Kobenstein, who owns one of those farms. “I’ve spent all of my PTO, all of my spare time, working on this, and I would do it 100 times over again for that little old mom who walked out the door because she deserves freedom and now she’s free.”
What’s next:
According to Big Dog Ranch Rescue’s executive director, Ridglan Farms is now out of business for good, but the animal rights activists said their fight against animal testing is far from over.
Some are focused on a smaller dog breeding facility in Spring Green, Tri Valley Resources, which has about 150 coon hounds bred for research. Activists across the country are turning their attention toward Marshal Bioresources in New York; the nation’s largest beagle breeding farm is eight times larger than Ridglan Farms.
Research and release
The backstory:
Ridglan Farms bred beagle puppies in the town of Blue Mounds for use in scientific research for more than 60 years. In 2024, former employees testified about conditions at the farm and painful “cherry eye” surgeries, routinely performed by non-veterinarians without pain relief.
In January 2025, a Dane County judge found probable cause that Ridglan Farms had committed crimes of animal cruelty. However, a special prosecutor appointed to investigate decided not to file charges. Instead, he agreed to a settlement that allowed Ridglan Farms to avoid criminal charges if it surrendered its breeding license.
Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy – two large-scale nonprofits – confirmed a deal to buy 1,500 dogs from the Dane County breeding facility for an undisclosed sum of money in late April. The dogs started being released on May 1.
In June, Big Dog Ranch Rescue secured a legal agreement to remove more than 400 dogs that were still inside the facility. Some were removed then, while the rest will be released in August when Ridglan Farms completes an ongoing research project. No dogs will remain once the August transfer is completed.
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Richard Van Domelen, the man in charge of Ridglan Farms, will never be able to practice veterinary medicine in Wisconsin again. The state’s Veterinary Examining Board voted to permanently revoke his license for “unprofessional conduct” in late July.
The Ridglan Farms beagles headed all over Wisconsin – and the country – once they were released. A number of states have welcomed the dogs, including neighboring Minnesota and Illinois, and as far as Florida, Nevada and New York.
The backstory:
The Dane County District Attorney’s Office filed a list of criminal charges against 47 people, accusing them of participating in the March “open rescue” of beagles at Ridglan Farms, in July.
Animal rights activists stormed the Wisconsin dog breeding facility on March 15. The self-described “rescuers” got away with 23 beagles at that time. Attorney Wayne Hsiung, who was previously charged, led the team that forced its way into the breeding barns – ultimately punching their way through a window to get inside.
Hundreds of activists returned on April 18, but they failed to breach the fortified perimeter of Ridglan Farms. Law enforcement was ready to defend the facility with rubber bullets and tear gas.
Hsiung is among four people who were previously charged, bringing the total number of people charged to 51.
The Source: Information in this story is from FOX6 Investigators sources and prior FOX6 Investigators coverage of the Ridglan Farms beagles and their release, including details from the Dane County District Attorney’s Office, Dane County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin Circuit Court, Big Dog Ranch Rescue and interviews.
