Center for a Humane Economy received information from sources at Ridglan Farms that it will cease operations after it releases 475 more dogs for placement in homes
WASHINGTON, D.C. — After receiving confirmation from Ridglan Farms’ counsel that the company is going to be “winding down its operations” earlier this month, the Center for a Humane Economy today celebrated this impending closure of the second-largest beagle supplier to laboratories.
Joseph Goode, a Milwaukee-based attorney representing the Center for a Humane Economy in negotiations with Ridglan Farms, spoke with Ridglan attorney Eric McLeod on June 2-4, 2026, regarding the potential transfer of the company’s remaining dogs. During that conversation, McLeod indicated that Ridglan Farms would be “winding down” its operations following the transfer of the remaining dogs. Separately, Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy, also heard from two Ridglan employees that the work of animal advocates “has driven us out of business.”
“I didn’t want to wait any longer to share this extraordinary news of Ridglan’s impending closure, since it has been such an eagerly awaited outcome for many millions of Americans,” said Pacelle, whose national organization led the discussions with Ridglan to purchase dogs and guide them to a better path. He added that “there’s been an ensemble cast that has produced this outcome, including Big Dog Ranch Rescue (BDRR),” its partner on the series of actions that produced the release of 1,635 dogs in May and June.
Here are some key moments in the timeline on the Ridglan Farms saga:
- In October 2025, the Center for a Humane Economy joined a coalition with Dane4Dogs, PETA, The Simple Heart, Rise for Animals, and others to urge the court-appointed special prosecutor, Tim Gruenke, to take meaningful action against Ridglan.
- Later in October, Special Prosecutor Gruenke and Ridglan Farms reached a plea agreement requiring the facility to surrender its commercial dog-breeding and seller’s license by July 1, 2026, in lieu of facing criminal animal-cruelty charges.
- In February 2026, the Center for a Humane Economy opened a private discussion with counsel for Ridglan Farms about acquiring its dogs.
- In March, Wayne Hsiung led a protest at Ridglan Farms, attracting advocates from Wisconsin and across the U.S. The scale of the protests was quite extraordinary.
- In April, Big Dog Ranch Rescue entered the private discussions CHE initiated with Ridglan about purchasing the dogs and finding homes for them.
- As those discussions proceeded, Wayne Hsiung led an even larger, higher profile protest at Ridglan Farms – attracting enormous national attention.
- In the waning days of April, the Center for a Humane Economy and BDRR signed a confidential agreement with Ridglan Farms to purchase 1,500 dogs. The organizations worked with partner groups to move, care for and then place the dogs. The Center had primary assistance from Beagle Freedom Project, who coordinated with the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, Dane County Humane Society, and the Wisconsin Federated Humane Societies on the rescue.
- On June 1, with so many asking about the remaining dogs, the Center for a Humane Economy and BDRR purchased another 135 dogs.
- On June 2, 2026, Ridglan’s counsel reached out to the Center’s attorney and proposed a sale of the remaining 475 dogs – 325 now and 150 later this summer, after a testing protocol concludes with that latter group of dogs. It appears that the company shopped for a higher price for the dogs from BDRR and obtained it.
Ridglan Farms, located in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, became the focus of years of advocacy by local organizations, national animal protection groups, investigators, and concerned citizens who brought attention to conditions at the operation and demanded accountability. Their efforts kept Ridglan Farms in the public eye, generated sustained scrutiny of its practices, and helped create the conditions that ultimately led to the release of thousands of dogs and the end of breeding operations at the facility.
“So many animal protection groups and concerned individuals, along with special prosecutor Tim Gruenke, played critical roles in producing this outcome,” said Tamara Drake, director of research and regulatory policy for the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action. “We are doubling down on our work to wind down all use of dogs, primates, and other animals bred and used for invasive testing in favor of superior human-relevant testing methods.”
The contemplated closure of Ridglan Farms also comes amid a broader shift away from animal-based testing. In 2022, Congress enacted the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, led by the Center for a Humane Economy, ending a decades-old requirement that animal tests be used in the development of new medicines. Building on that landmark reform, the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action are leading efforts to secure enactment of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, legislation designed to ensure federal regulations and agency practices fully align with modern, human-relevant science and accelerate the transition away from animal testing. That bill is poised for enactment soon.
Thousands of dogs remain in breeding colonies operated by commercial suppliers, including Marshall BioResources and Charles River Laboratories, which breeds dogs for internal contract testing.
“We are asking congressional lawmakers and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take action to end any NIH funding for dog or cat experiments,” added Pacelle. “The use of dogs in drug screening and other protocols is archaic and inhumane and there are better ways to conduct this work. The Ridglan case has highlighted who and what is at stake, and that it’s time to accelerate the transition to modern, human-relevant science and bring an end to this outdated system.”