FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) \u2014 The first beagles removed from a Wisconsin dog breeding and research facility that was the site of recent\u00a0protests\u00a0seemed to know right away that they were safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey started within an hour or so coming up to us, wanting attention. Some crawled in people\u2019s laps. Every single one of them are super sweet,\u201d Lauree Simmons, president and founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, said Sunday. \u201cI think they are loving the attention. I just know they know they\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Big Dog Ranch Rescue<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Center for a Humane Economy\u00a0negotiated a confidential agreement to purchase the\u00a01,500 dogs\u00a0for an undisclosed price from Ridglan Farms, where police used tear gas and pepper spray to repel\u00a0activists\u00a0trying to take beagles from the facility last month. Protesters also broke into the facility in March and took 30 dogs. Sixty-three people were referred by the sheriff\u2019s department to the district attorney for potential charges related to that break-in.<\/p>\n Talks to purchase the animals began months before the April disturbance, and Simmons said her group wasn\u2019t connected to the protests. Now, Big Dog Ranch Rescue is working with partners all over the country to find homes for 1,000 of the dogs, while the Center for a Humane Economy is taking the rest.<\/p>\n Simmons said her group has received over 700 adoption applications, but it might take some time before the hounds are ready for their new homes as the organization screens potential dog parents, moves the animals to shelters around the country and ensures the beagles are housebroken.<\/p>\n The first 300 dogs were taken from Ridglan on Friday, with more scheduled for removal over the next week. The animal groups have set up a staging area with play yards in Wisconsin, where the dogs are being vaccinated, microchipped, spayed or neutered and prepared for transport, Simmons said. Big Dog Ranch Rescue has already started moving dogs to its location in western Palm Beach County, Florida.<\/p>\n \u201cThe younger dogs will adjust quicker, and the older dogs will take time,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cA lot of them are more willing to accept love and want to be with people.\u201d<\/p>\n Ridglan Farms didn\u2019t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.<\/p>\n Beagles are the most common breed of dog used for animal testing, primarily because of their smaller size and gentle temperament, Simmons said.<\/p>\n \u201cA Belgian Malinois is not going to put up with being tested on, being confined in a kennel their whole life,\u201d Simmons said of the athletic shepherd dogs commonly used by police and the military. \u201cBeagles are just so trusting and docile and calm and forgiving, so they are the most chosen dogs for animal testing. And so we\u2019re going to take one of the sweetest, kindest, most trusting breeds and abuse them? This is wrong. This needs to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 firm has denied mistreating animals, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.<\/p>\n About 1,000 activists from across the country came to Ridglan Farms in the rural village of Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Madison, on April 18 in an attempt to take the beagles. They were met by police who used tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray. The Dane County Sheriff\u2019s Department said\u00a029 people were arrested<\/a>\u00a0and five face felony burglary charges.<\/p>\n Activists have filed a federal lawsuit in Wisconsin alleging that police used unnecessary force. Ridglan has said those who tried to break in were a \u201cviolent mob\u201d who launched \u201can assault on a federally licensed research facility.\u201d<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n \tJoin our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. 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