MT. HOREB (NBC 26) — A Wisconsin company that breeds beagles for biomedical research declared Monday it would sell or donate all of its remaining dogs to a Florida-based nonprofit by the end of August.
Ridglan Farms, based in Mt. Horeb, said 325 beagles would be sold this week to Big Dog Ranch. Additionally, the company says it has agreed to donate all remaining dogs after the sale to Big Dog Ranch by the end of August.
"Now that transfer plans have been finalized for the rest of Ridglan Farms’ dogs, we ask that the years-long harassment campaign targeting the research facility’s owners, staff and neighbors comes to an end," the company said in a statement to our newsroom.
"We also hope," the statement continued, "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."
A press release from Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), an animal rights network, also says that this Ridglan Farms will close as part of their agreement. However, that closure has not been confirmed by Ridglan Farms.
"The release of these dogs will begin today," DxE's release states. "As part of the negotiations, Ridglan has agreed to not only close down its breeding operation, but also its on-site animal testing facility."
As we’ve previously reported, nearly 1,500 dogs were bought Big Dog Ranch and the Center for a Humane Economy in late April. Those dogs have since been dispersed to shelters across the country, including the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Green Bay campus.
