RIDGLAN BEAGLE RELEASE
1,500 beagles escaped the laboratory pipeline — now we must help tens of thousands of others
The Mission Was Historic. The Work Continues.
More than 1,500 beagles have now been released from Ridglan Farms in one of the largest coordinated dog release efforts in American history.
These dogs are finally getting the chance to experience grass beneath their paws, compassionate human care, medical treatment, and loving homes. But removal is only the beginning.
The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action are now supporting the enormous ongoing effort to transport, rehabilitate, foster, and rehome these animals through a nationwide network of rescue and adoption partners.
At the same time, we are working to ensure this pipeline from breeding facility to laboratory never victimizes another generation of dogs.
That’s why we are advancing a broad federal strategy to phase out outdated animal testing and accelerate the transition toward modern, human-relevant science. With FDA Modernization Act 3.0 now on a strong path forward in Congress, our focus is expanding to new efforts aimed at stopping taxpayer-funded dog and cat experiments at the National Institutes of Health.
Your support powers both missions:
- Caring for removed beagles
- Advancing the policies needed to end the laboratory-animal pipeline
The Next Front: Ending NIH Funding for Dog and Cat Experiments
Our allies in Congress are revving up efforts to phase out taxpayer-funded dog and cat experiments conducted through NIH grants.
Working with congressional allies in both the House and Senate, the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action are helping advance new appropriations language designed to redirect federal research priorities toward modern, human-relevant science and away from outdated animal testing models.
The Ridglan beagles exposed the reality of the laboratory supply pipeline. Now Congress has an opportunity to help shut that pipeline down at its source.
The Ridglan Mission Changed the National Conversation
The release of the Ridglan beagles marked a turning point in the national debate over animal experimentation.
For decades, Ridglan Farms bred beagles specifically for laboratory use. Through negotiations led by the Center for a Humane Economy, working with Beagle Freedom Project and numerous national animal welfare partners, more than 1,500 dogs were transferred out of that system and into rescue channels.
But while this effort saved lives, it also exposed a larger problem: thousands of animals are still bred and funneled into laboratories each year under outdated testing models that modern science is increasingly capable of replacing.
That is why this moment must become more than a one-event story. It must become the catalyst for permanent reform.
Defund NIH Grants to Researchers Using Dogs and Cats
Rep. Nick Langworthy has announced his plans to defund NIH grants to researchers using dogs and cats. They should be using non-animal-testing methods in place of animals, since they are less expensive, more reliable, and faster.
Through the FDA Modernization Act, we are accelerating the government’s acceptance of non-animal methods like these:
- Organ-on-chip technology
- AI-assisted toxicology models
- Advanced cell-based testing
- Computational and human-relevant research methods
We are on the cusp of passing FDA Modernization Act 3.0 to accelerate the transition to these more predictive, human-relevant testing methods. At the same time, we must cut off funds that still drive the use of dogs and cats in animal tests. Our government recognizes the superiority of non-animal testing methods, but now it must reallocate its billions in grant-making to build on that idea.
Support our efforts with Rep. Langworthy and a bipartisan group of lawmakers to stop NIH funding in the billions for counterproductive, inhumane animal tests, including the use of dogs, cats, and primates.
Photo Gallery
Act Now
What Your Support Makes Possible
Your donation helps:
- Provide veterinary care and rehabilitation for removed beagles
- Support transport, fostering, and adoption efforts
- Assist rescue and shelter partners caring for the dogs
- Advance federal reforms to reduce and replace animal testing
- Support congressional efforts to modernize NIH research priorities
- Build public pressure for a more humane scientific system
The Ridglan mission proved the laboratory pipeline can be disrupted. Now we must change the federal policies that keep it alive.
Additional Materials
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir
Videos
Center for a Humane Economy Helps Release 1,500 Ridglan Beagles
The Center's Press Conference | May 11, 2026
