Operation HEEL

05/15/2026

https://www.fox6now.com/news/ridglan-beagle-rescue-signals-animal-testing-shift-america.amp

1,000 beagles have been removed from Ridglan Farms so far, with 500 more coming out this week.

05/15/2026

Ridglan Farms can still legally keep dogs because of a combination of licensing rules, settlement terms, and exemptions in animal-research law.

After doing some research, here’s how it stands now:

—Ridglan agreed to give up its Wisconsin commercial dog-breeding license by July 1, 2026, as part of a settlement intended to avoid criminal prosecution over alleged animal welfare violations (Animal Welfare Institute).
—The agreement did not completely shut the facility down, it specifically allowed the company to continue operating as a research facility and to keep dogs for in-house research (CBS 58).
—The facility still holds federal licenses through the United States Department of Agriculture, including a USDA Class A breeder license and a research license. Those federal licenses currently allow possession and use of dogs under the federal Animal Welfare Act framework (danesheriff.com).

Wisconsin animal-cruelty law contains exemptions for approved research activity. Dane County officials publicly stated that the statute does not apply to “teaching, research, or experimentation” conducted under approved research protocols (danesheriff.com).

This may lead to:

The state stopping commercial breeding-for-sale operations, BUT the company may still legally keep and breed some dogs for research conducted internally.

Additionally, there are differences between state and federal oversight:

—Wisconsin regulators documented hundreds of alleged state violations, according to reporting and advocacy groups (Animal Welfare Institute).
—USDA inspection history publicly reported relatively few federal violations (Animal Welfare Institute).

Finally, federal licenses have not automatically been revoked. Some lawmakers, including Mark Pocan, are now pushing for federal review of facilities that lost or surrendered state breeder licenses. (Mark Pocan).

To summarize:

1. Ridglan Farms continues to operate as a research facility under state.
2. The settlement only required surrender of the state breeding-for-sale license.
3. Federal USDA licenses remain active.
4. Research facilities receive special legal exemptions under current law.

Please remember that research on animals takes place all over the state of Wisconsin, all over the world. Universities, including UW-Madison, are funded to perform painful research on animals (Madeline Krasno was a former UW-Madison student who reported the abuse of monkeys in the lab back in 2011-2013).

Laws need to change.

Thank you for keeping the conversations active!

PLEASE continue to support your local animal rescue so they can be ready to assist again ♥️

05/14/2026

05/13/2026

05/13/2026

There are a lot of questions surrounding the legal process taken with Ridglan Farms.

This short except will help!

05/11/2026

A mindful moment in support of the 500 Ridglan beagles that will be released this week ♥️

And we will not forget and not stop fighting for the 500 remaining after this week 🙏

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

Sending love & healing to the seniors ♥️

On Thursday, Albert’s Dog Lounge in Whitewater welcomed 19 beagles from the Blue Mounds breeding and research facility into foster care.

05/08/2026

Meet Ernie, a Ridglan beagle survivor, and follow his journey to freedom on Instagram:


Ernie stopped by to say hello and keep me company as I finished putting the barn back together.

Ernie was in the first group that arrived a week ago today, I remember him distinctively as he was the only one “singing” after we dimmed the lights for the night. He was much happier resting outside of his kennel on a lap 😊

Way too quiet here…..

05/07/2026

UPDATE: RIDGLAN BEAGLES COMING SOON TO WI SHELTERS/RESCUES: “How can I help?” and “How can I adopt?”

Next Monday, May 11, teams from Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, Beagle Freedom Project, Dane County Humane Society, Wisconsin Federated Humane Societies, and Animal Wellness Action – Center For A Humane Economy -WI, will begin removing “our” 500 of the 1500 beagles that are to be released from Ridglan Farms. They will be processed out of Ridglan – who must keep strict records of the disposition of all the dogs – and then processed into the WI Rescue/Sheltering community (ditto on the strict record-keeping).

This will entail a caravan of vehicles transporting dogs from Ridglan to the Dane County Humane Society, and once there, vet exams, microchipping, administering of vaccines (rabies, distemper, etc. – all familiar to dog owners), and an ever-lovin’ ton of paperwork. After that, off to shelters and rescues all across Wisconsin for “decompression,” spaying/neutering, behavioral assessment, socialization, rudimentary training (including beginning potty training), and, most importantly, acclimating to being a loved pet.

All in all, the Wisconsin beagles may not be ready for adoption for several more weeks, but participating rescues/shelters will likely need your help now in preparing for them, on top of caring for all of the animals already in residence.

Two questions we have been hearing again and again and again: (1) How can I help? and (2) How/Where can I adopt?

Below is a list of Wisconsin rescues and shelters which will have beagles from Ridglan. Please contact the organizations directly to:

(1) Ask WHAT DO YOU NEED? – donate $$, donate wishlist items, volunteer your time and skills; or

(2) Fill out an adoption form.

PLEASE be patient, as all of these rescues and shelters are very, very busy right now!

Adam County Humane Society ACHS, Friendship
www.adamscountyhumanesociety.org

Barron - Humane Society of Baron County HSBC, Barron
www.hsbcpets.com

Chasing Daylight Animal Shelter CDAS, Tomah
www.chasingdaylight.org

Chippewa Humane Association CHA, Chippewa Falls
www.chippewahumane.org

Clark County Humane Society CCHS, Neillsville
www.cchs-petshelter.org

Columbia County Humane Society CCHS, Portage
www.cchswi.org

Dane County Humane Society DCHS, Madison
www.giveshelter.org

Dunn Country Humane Society DCHS, Menomonie
www.dunncountyhumanesociety.org

Eau Claire County Humane Association, Eau Claire
https://eccha.org/

Fond du Lac Humane Society FHS, Fond du Lac
www.fdlhumane.org

Green County Humane Society GCHS, Monroe
www.greencountyhumane.org

Humane Animal Welfare HAWS, Waukesha
www.hawspets.org

Jefferson County Humane Society JCHS, Jefferson
www.hsjc-wis.com

Lakeshore Humane LHS, Manitowoc
www.lakeshorehumane.org

Northwoods Humane Society NHS, Hayward
www.northwoodshumanesociety.org

Oneida County Humane Society OCHS, Rhinelander
www.ochspets.org

Oshkosh Area Humane Society OAHS, Oshkosh
www.oahs.org

Paddy's Paws, Fort Atkinson
https://paddyspaws.blogspot.com/

Underdog Pet Rescue, Stoughton
www.underdogpetrescue.org

Washington County Humane Society WCHS, Slinger
www.wchspets.org

Watertown Humane Society WHS, Watertown
www.whsadopt.org

Waupaca County- Humane Society of HSWC, Waupaca
www.waupacahumane.org

Wisconsin Humane Society WHS, 6 locations: Milwaukee, Sturgeon Bay, Green Bay, Kenosha, Saukville, and Racine
www.wihumane.org

We want to take this opportunity to send a HUGE THANK YOU to all of the rescues/shelters who responded immediately to our call. The response was overwhelming!

In addition, the following Wisconsin shelters and rescues are receiving dogs from Big Dog Ranch Rescue (Please note, this list might not be complete.)

Chequamegon Humane Association, Ashland
www.chaadopt.org

Albert's Dog Lounge, Whitewater
www.albertsdoglounge.org/

Brown Paws Rescue, Edgerton
www.brownpawsrescue.com

Bob's House for Dogs, Eau Claire
www.bobshousefordogs.org

Fetch Foster and Rescue, Marathon
www.fetchfosterandrescue.com

Catkins Rescue (WI), Park Falls
www.catkinsanimalrescue.org

Ramen’s Rescue, Grafton
www.ramensrescue.com

Graphic by Josie, used with permission. Again, THANKS to all of you SOMEONES!!!!

05/07/2026

1000 Ridglan research beagles were vetted, loved, and carried to freedom through our doors but not before running freely on green grass and in the sunshine!

Monetary donations to rescue shelters is the biggest need right now, and this is true for area shelters that may not have had room to foster the Ridglan beagles.

None of this would be possible without animal rescue organizations so please consider supporting the animal shelter near you!

If you are a foster/adopter for these Ridglan beagles I’m happen to answer any questions to help everyone settle in as there are a few steps to take to make this transition stress free!!! (Info@opheel.com)

And please, DO NOT use bark collars on these dogs (or any dogs)!!!!!!

Suppressing a bark is taking away their voice, taking away their freedom to express emotion and/or discomfort.