Thousands of Beagles rescued from animal testing facility in Wisconsin after getting permanently shut down: 'No more breeding, no more testing, no more anything'

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Jun 22, 2026 8:15 AM EDT

Anyone looking for a Beagle to adopt? There are about to be over 2,000 coming to Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Florida, soon!

Reddit's r/AnimalShelterStories recently highlighted Big Dog Ranch Rescue, a multimillion-dollar dog rescue organization based in Florida, had successfully received thousands of beagles that were bred and used for scientific purposes in a facility called Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin. This might sound familiar to you because in April of this year, some 1,000 animal activists actually stormed Ridglan Farms in an attempt to free the Beagles, which garnered national media attention. A few were arrested, but they made their point. Ridglan Farms was eventually forced to close, and made an agreement with Big Dog Ranch Rescue to transfer all 2,110 beagles to the rescue so the doggos could finally have a chance at living a real life.

This opens up a whole can of worms that not many people are willing to open. You would be surprised how many companies and organizations still use animal testing to this day. It's not just dogs. Birds, mice, rats, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs… the list goes on. Would you still buy your favorite lipstick if you knew it was being tested on one of these beagles first to see if they had an allergic reaction? Probably not. A lot of people choose ignorance over knowledge when it comes to subjects like this.

However, that ignorance does nothing to help these poor puppers who are not allowed outside to reduce the number of variables in testing. These dogs have never experienced wind, a car ride, or a plush dog bed for their entire lives. Thanks to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, though, they will soon. The founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, Lauree Simmons, put it pawfectly when addressing the media about this amazing victory: "No more breeding, no more testing, no more anything."

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10640948224
    via Michael Starkie

    Beagle running through a grassy field

  • 02
    Ridglan Farms, a labratory Beagle breeding facility in Wisconsin, settled criminal animal ab e allegations with a special prosecutor, agreeing to surrender its breeding and sales license. However, that deal did not require changes for the dogs already at the site. Ridglan Farms denied mistreating the animals, stating that the transferred dogs are "happy [and] healthy" with extensive inspection records.
    via Friendly_TSE

  • This all depends on how you define “mistreating” animals. Did they provide the animals with food, water, and space to sleep? Sure. But are those bare minimum requirements enough to be considered “living”? Is never being let outside, touching grass, or doing things a dog is supposed to do, like rolling around in the dirt and forming bonds with humans considered “justifiable treatment” in terms of the law? If so, we think the laws need changing.

  • 03
    The facility had been the target of sustained animal rights activism. In April 2026, an "open rescue" attempt by around 1,000 activists resulted in clashes with police and 29 arrests. After the pressure from protesters, Florida-based Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy reached an agreement with Ridglan Farms for its permanent closure.
    via Friendly_TSE
  • 04
    Roughly 1,500 to 2,000 beagles are being removed from the facility and sent to Big Dog Ranch Rescue facilities.
    via Friendly_TSE
  • 05
    How do you think this will affect the dog adoption scene, if at all? Any specific challenges you foresee in the future for shelters, fosters, and adopters?
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  • 06
    Friendly_TSE One thing I think people need to be aware of is that while lab beagles are generally bred to be more tolerant and forgiving of 'manhandling', they are often kept in puppy-mill like settings, and should tamper expectations accordingly.
    via Friendly_TSE
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10640948480
    via Kurt Pas

    Two beagles sitting outside

  • 08
    A lot of lab animals can't go outdoors, due to the nature of keeping variables at a minimum. They usually aren't accustomed to a house setting. They likely won't have any house training skills. They may be skittish of things we take for granted, like wind or TVs.
    via Friendly_TSE
  • 09
    I have a soft spot for beagles. I understand needing to use animals for scientific purposes sometimes but man I wish we treated them better.
    via Friendly_TSE
  • 10
    BigWhiteDog These dogs could need special handing for the rest of their lives.
    via @

  • These dogs probably will need special care. But, the good thing about dogs is that they're surprisingly resilient. People looking to adopt them shouldn't think that they'll be perfect puppers right off the bat. They'll need time adjusting to the “real world”, but once they do, we're sure they'll be just fine.

  • 11
    memon17 Anyone here saying "O impact" is insanely misinformed. Big Dog isn't taking all the dogs themselves. They are distributing them to their partners. Same thing that happened a month ago. Some municipal shelters won't take any, some might. Some might take hundreds. And it would definitely impact communities.
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  • 12
    Foster homes are limited. A lot of organizations supporting these dogs will be utilizing foster families to care for them, and depending on their guidelines, they could be taking care of some of these dogs for months.
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  • 13
    Which means they can't another dog in, so that's another dog that sits a the shelter.
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  • 14
    BigJSunshine Oh thank god. I don't want ANY ANIMALS being used for experiments, but beagles ARE SO SMART. They definitely KNEW what was being done to them.
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    Cheezburger Image 10640948736
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+
  • 16
    Adoption interest for these dogs is also incredibly high, which means a lot of people are holding out from welcoming another dog or even visit a local shelter (even if those shelters might have no-lab beagles available).
    via @
  • 17
    Also, I've seen SOOO much passion and fervor for these dogs. People are making up the wildest stories around them, what they lived, what they need, who can adopt them, what's right and what's not... etc. And in a few cases, turning against local shelters for "making the wrong decisions" about their care. That's also quite impactful.
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  • 18
    I'm so glad these dogs are being freed and receiving the love and life their deserve. But the focus they've pulled from other dogs as deserving of love and attention is, frankly, exhausting.
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  • 19
    Suspicious-Steak 9168 I live in the southeast. Will there be any for adoption in my area? | understand that they will have certain needs due ro where they come from, but i think i would be a perfect fit.
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  • 20
    Foxterriers O impact they will all be sold immediately at insane prices. They've already done crazy advertising for it and probably have placed most of the adoptable ones already unless its super expensive.
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  • 21
    Best_Comfortable5221 I contacted BIG Dog ranch about taking a dog to make room for the beagle influx. They did not get back to me.
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  • 22
    soscots It won't affect anything. This is coming from someone who's been involved in these previously with dogs coming out of research facilities. People love a good story and the adopters are there who want dogs from these kind of rescues.
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  • 23
    cass_a_frass0 We didnt get beagles a lot but when we did it took a long time to adopt them out. I think it was their reputation for being loud. We had no real interest in the 2 we had until some kind soul took both. Im sure these dogs will be more "docile" i guess but itll be a lot of work like you said to house train them and get them mentally in a space to be adaptable.
    via @

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