Have you been seeing videos of beagles all over your social media feed? Are they adorable and curious, running around on grass for the first time? These dogs are among the 1,500 that were freed from an animal testing research facility in Wisconsin last month.
In April, animal rescue organizations Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy stepped in to purchase the beagles from Ridglan Farms, a dog breeding and research facility. Now the beagles are finding their forever homes, and videos of the newly freed dogs enjoying activities — like one dog’s first time at the beach — are going viral.
Their freedom and their social media stardom come after an investigation into animal cruelty at Ridglan Farms and mass protests by animal rights activists.
What was going on at Ridglan Farms?
Ridglan Farms breeds beagles for testing at its own research facility and also sells the dogs to other laboratories. Beagles are commonly used for animal testing due to their docile, friendly temperament, and the company previously stated that the beagles used at its facility help with research for rabies, canine parvovirus, heartworm, dog arthritis and distemper.
For years, however, Ridglan Farms has been plagued by accusations of animal mistreatment from animal rights activists. In a statement on their website, Ridgland Farms said that there is no credible evidence of “animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.” They noted that their operations are “subject to strict government regulations and both state and federal regulators, including veterinarians employed by the USDA, have closely inspected Ridglan Farms’ facilities for years, yet no court, agency or investigator has ever made a finding of animal cruelty.”
“In fact, the special prosecutor who led the 2025 investigation of our facility has publicly referenced several untrue claims about Ridglan Farms and his investigators have also determined the witnesses behind these same claims ‘lacked credibility,’” their statement continued.
Last year, following pressure from activists and state officials, a judge in Dane County, Wis., appointed a special prosecutor to investigate these accusations. The prosecutor concluded that Ridglan Farms’ treatment of beagles, specifically how they conducted eye surgeries on the beagles without anesthesia or pain management, violated state veterinary standards and constituted animal mistreatment.
As part of an agreement to avoid state prosecution, Ridglan agreed to give up its state breeding license by July 1 of this year, which will end its ability to sell dogs to outside researchers. The company will still be permitted to breed dogs for its own internal research.
Animal testing is a component of medical research, often necessary to comply with legal requirements. For example, the Food and Drug Administration requires investigational new drugs to be tested in animals before they can be used in humans, due to ethical guidelines.
Ridglan Farms did not immediately return Yahoo’s request for comment.
Activists staged protests at Ridglan Farms — ultimately leading the dogs to be freed
On March 15, activists broke into Ridglan in order to rescue the animals inside. Ultimately, the activists removed 23 beagles, leading to 27 people getting arrested for felony burglary.
In April, Rep. Mark Pocan brought up the issues at Ridglan during a congressional hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Days later, on April 18, between 1,000 and 1,500 activists descended upon Ridglan in an effort to rescue the animals, resulting in police deploying tear gas in an effort to stop the protest. Organizer Wayne Hsiung, an animal rights lawyer and cofounder of the organization the Simple Heart, said that more than a dozen protesters, including himself, were arrested. No animals were removed from the facility.
Animal rights activists converge at the Wisconsin state Capitol to demand the closure of Ridglan Farms.
(Scott Bauer/AP)
In a statement on their website posted after the protest, Ridglan Farms called Hsiung an agitator.
“If any of Saturday’s attack participants, their supporters or police were injured, the fault lies squarely on the shoulders of Wayne Hsiung, who organized, egged on and then led hundreds of individuals in a coordinated, violent assault on our facility,” they wrote. “Instead of respecting the rule of law and the results of a thorough investigation which led to a binding legal agreement between the state of Wisconsin and Ridglan Farms, Mr Hsiung decided to encourage lawlessness and vigilantism because he did not personally agree with the results of the legal process.”
But as all of this was unfolding, rescue organizations were negotiating a purchase agreement for the dogs. Ridglan Farms announced on April 30 they were selling around 1,500 dogs to animal rescuers.
In early May, the dogs were taken from Ridglan Farms and placed into the custody of the animal rescue organizations.
“We are very excited about these animals who have lived in confinement, which is a normal condition in any sort of contract breeding facility, having an opportunity to touch soil and grass, breathe fresh air and get into a loving home for the balance of their lives,” Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action, said in a statement. “This is a tremendous celebratory moment and one of the biggest rescues of animals from a breeding facility.”
Where are the dogs now?
The rescued pups are currently in the process of finding their forever homes. The rescue organizations have said they will be medically evaluated and socialized before being put up for adoption.
In the days since the dogs were released, social media has become full of videos of these beagles exploring their new cage-free world. One video posted on Instagram earlier this week shows dozens of beagles in a big field, going outside for what the video says is their first time ever.
Hsiung, who has not yet replied to Yahoo’s request for comment on the matter, adopted one of the beagles. He shared multiple posts about the pup’s homecoming, including a video of his new dog, whom he named James, playing with his new furry sibling.
“Running circles is way more fun when you’re out of a Ridglan cage!” he wrote in the caption of the video, which he shared on X on May 6. “And your new brother teaches you how to play! (Turn sound on for the squeak!)”