MADISON, Wis. – A factory farm west of Madison that breeds beagle puppies for use in scientific experiments is facing both criminal and disciplinary investigations for mistreatment of animals. Ridglan Farms houses more than 3,200 dogs whose only purpose is to be used in – or sold for – scientific experiments.
In February, a Dane County judge appointed La Crosse County prosecutor Tim Gruenke to consider possible criminal charges. Last week, the Wisconsin veterinary examining board voted to place restrictions on surgical procedures while it considers a possible license suspension for Dr. Richard Van Domelen, Ridglan’s lead veterinarian.
‘Open Rescue’
The backstory:
Ridglan Farms was founded in 1966 and for nearly 60 years it has engaged in the controversial field of breeding beagles for animal research. The factory farm is located in a remote area of western Dane County and consists of a series of large agricultural buildings surrounded by barbed wire fencing.
In 2017, animal rights activists working for Direct Action Everywhere entered the facility in the middle of the night on a mission to draw attention to what was happening inside. Videos they recorded show rows upon rows of stacked metal cages filled with 1-2 beagles each inside a long, windowless metal shed. The activists removed three beagles from their cages and left, then published the evidence of what they’d done. One of the activists – former Northwestern University law professor Wayne Hsiung – called the operation an “open rescue.”
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“If the only way we can get any attention on what’s happening inside Ridglan Farms is for them to prosecute us, then we have to do that,” Hsiung said.
Turning the Tables
Timeline:
In 2021, four years after the activists removed the dogs, the Dane County DA filed criminal charges against Hsiung and two others for burglary and theft.
The case was set for trial on March 22, 2024. But just two weeks before it started, Ridglan Farms asked the DA to drop the charges, fearing public backlash after the company received what it described as “death threats.”
Hsiung and his colleagues objected to their own charges being dismissed. On April 15, 2024, he and a group called Dane4Dogs turned the tables. They filed a petition for the appointment of a special prosecutor to charge Ridglan Farms with mistreatment of animals.
In October 2024, former employees of Ridglan testified to participating in painful and bloody surgical procedures to remove dogs’ swollen eye glands. They had no veterinary license and testified that they used no anesthesia, but conducted the procedures at the direction of Dr. Van Domelen.
They’re docile
Big picture view:
Beagles have been popular subjects for scientific research since the 1950s when the US Atomic Energy Commission subjected them to radiation exposure. A book published in 1970 described beagles as particularly well-suited for experiments due to their “medium size,” manageable length of hair, and their “even temperament.”
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“They’re docile. They’re small. And they’re gentle,” Hsiung said.
Fifty years later, they are still bred and sold for laboratory testing.
Monkeys, rabbits and dogs
By the numbers:
According to the USDA, more than 28,000 animals are housed in laboratories across Wisconsin. More than 3,600 of them, or 13%, are dogs. The most common research animals are non-human primates (monkeys) and rabbits. That does not include mice, rats and fish, which USDA does not track.
Of the 3,600 research dogs in Wisconsin, approximately 3% are involved in testing at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison Area Technical College and SPF North America.
Twenty-one percent are experimented on at Ridglan (in addition to thousands bred and held for sale).
By far, most – more than 75% – are housed at Labcorp, a private drug development laboratory in Madison. It tells FOX6 Investigators its treatment of dogs is “ethical” and leads to the development of “safe and effective new medicines.”
Thank dogs for insulin
The other side:
Supporters say a long list of medical advancements can be traced to animal research.
“These therapies that come out of this research not only go on to benefit the dogs themselves, but also humans,” said Naomi Charlambakis with Americans for Medical Progress, which is defending the scientific community against calls for funding cuts to animal-based studies.
Charlambakis said insulin is just one example of a human therapy that started with research in dogs, whose bodies she said have great similarities to that of humans.
“It really helps researchers understand how a disease operates, or you know, how basic biological processes work,” Charlambakis said.
Unexpected Allies
Push for Legislation:
The movement to eliminate animal testing is bringing together an unusual alliance – left-leaning animal rights groups and right-leaning fiscal conservatives who want to cut funding for science.
“Over $20 billion a year of taxpayers’ money is still wasted annually on ineffective and inhumane tests on puppies, kittens and other animals,” said Justin Goodman, senior Vice President of the White Coat Waste Project, which was founded by conservative political consultant Anthony Bellotti.
“Animals don’t care who you vote for,” Goodman said. “They just want to stop being tortured in laboratories.”
In 2021, White Coat Waste Project used records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act to tie controversial overseas experiments on beagles to funding from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease, led at the time by Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The research in Tunisia involved exposing healthy beagles to diseased sand flies to test a possible treatment that could protect both dogs and humans. Many of the dogs involved in the experiment were later euthanized due to severe illness.
“Especially with the advent of DOGE and the new administration coming in and looking for ways to cut, slashing spending that hurts puppies and kittens is something that can unite everyone,” Goodman said.
Microchips and Maggie
What’s next:
Amy Van Aartsen is among a chorus of voices calling for the closure of Ridglan Farms. She is both a beagle lover and a researcher at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. While Van Aartsen does not speak for the university, she said newer technology – including microchips that mimic human organs – could eliminate the need for animal research in the future. In the meantime, she is focused on freeing more than three thousand beagles from Ridglan Farms – dogs that remind her of her own beagle at home.
“I see my Maggie,” Van Aartsen said. “I see that could have been her.”
La Crosse County Prosecutor Tim Gruenke said he is reviewing documents in the case, but cannot set a timeline for making a charging decision.
The Veterinary Examining Board voted not to immediately suspend Dr. Van Domelen’s license, as requested by a board investigator. Instead, the board agreed to a stipulation that as the disciplinary case proceeds, all surgeries at Ridglan Farms will be performed only by licensed veterinarians using proper anesthesia.
The Source: For this investigation, we relied upon a variety of sources, including data reported annually to the USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service; FOIA records of laboratory experiments provided by White Coat Waste Project; video inside Ridglan Farms courtesy of Wayne Hsiung of The Simple Heart (formerly of Direct Action Everywhere); Dane County court filings for 2021CF1838 and 2024JD0001; audio recordings of a December meeting between Ridglan Farms and the Wisconsin Department of Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP); DATCP and USDA inspection records of Ridglan Farms; disciplinary records from the Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board; archival newspaper clippings of research on beagles; and interviews with a variety of researchers and animal activists.
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