About 1,500 beagles are being moved out of Ridglan Farms, a Wisconsin breeding and research facility that housed roughly 2,000 dogs. Associated Press reported that Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy reached a confidential agreement to purchase the dogs and move them toward care and adoption.

For many of these beagles, this is the first real path out of a system that bred them for laboratory use. They will need medical care, socialization, transport, foster homes, and patient adopters.

But a rescue that leaves dogs behind is not finished.

Every Ridglan beagle deserves freedom.

Reports Say Hundreds May Remain

PBS Wisconsin reported that the agreement covered nearly 1,500 of about 2,000 beagles and that plans for the remaining dogs were unclear. FOX6 Milwaukee reported that about 500 dogs could be left behind and that Ridglan Farms may still be able to use remaining dogs for in-house experimentation after surrendering its breeding license.

That is the loophole officials must close. A license surrender should not become a way to stop selling dogs while keeping others inside for research use.

The Guardian reported that the first 300 dogs were removed in early May and that rescue teams began vaccinations, microchips, sterilization, and transport preparation. Wisconsin Examiner reported on the agreement and the long-running pressure around the facility.

Hundreds of dogs may still be left behind.

Officials Must Protect Every Dog

The Center for a Humane Economy described the transfer as one of the largest coordinated dog operations in recent U.S. history. That scale matters. It proves that rescue networks can mobilize. It also proves that public attention can change the outcome for animals hidden inside research systems.

Wisconsin officials and USDA now need to finish the job. They should identify every remaining beagle, disclose a humane plan for each dog, stop further breeding for research, prevent invasive use while oversight concerns remain, and secure transfer to qualified rescue partners.

This is not only about one facility. It is about whether dogs bred for laboratories can be left behind when rescue is possible and the public is watching.

Sign the petition to urge Wisconsin and USDA officials to free every beagle still at risk from Ridglan Farms and stop further breeding or invasive use of these dogs.