Free the Ridglan Dogs —
End the Cruelty Now
Petition to DA Ismael Ozanne · Dane County, Wisconsin
A judge declared these dogs victims of felony cruelty. The state cut a deal that frees zero of them. We need to change that.
On January 9, 2025, Judge Rhonda Lanford found probable cause of felony animal cruelty at Ridglan Farms. A special prosecutor then gave Ridglan until July 1, 2026 to stop breeding — but the deal allows them to keep selling dogs into labs until then, keep as many dogs as they want for their own internal experiments indefinitely, and requires not a single dog to be released. Ever.
We demand every dog be freed and this facility permanently closed.
Most people don't know that places like this exist.
Ridglan Farms is a facility at 10489 W Blue Mounds Road, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin — just outside Madison — that has been breeding beagles for over 60 years for a single purpose: to sell them to laboratories for experimentation.
That experimentation is called vivisection — the practice of testing on living animals. Force-feeding toxic compounds. Invasive surgery. Injecting diseases. And ultimately killing them. Beagles are the breed of choice because they are gentle, trusting, and do not fight back. They are chosen specifically because of their kindness.
There are very few facilities like this left in the United States. Ridglan breeds approximately 2,000 beagles at any given time — dogs that have never seen sunlight, never felt grass, never been loved — and sells them to be tortured in the name of science.
These dogs need to be rescued.
Accepted by the court
Surgery on conscious dogs without anesthesia by unlicensed staff1, 5, 6
Solitary confinement in 2′ × 4′ metal cages — never outside, no sunlight1, 2
Wire flooring causing chronic foot infections, cysts, inability to walk3, 9
Failure to provide adequate shelter under Wisconsin cruelty statutes1
Nauseating conditions from accumulated feces and urine3
Documented but never charged
Vocal cords cut from 30–40 dogs/month using paralytic agents instead of anesthesia5
Dying puppies thrown in garbage bags rather than given vet care or humane euthanasia5
Mass burning of dead dogs in pyres on the property (earliest complaint, 2005)
Psychological torment — endless spinning, pacing, wall-bouncing "off the scale"2
Note: The 311 violations represent only a fraction of the cruelty documented by employees and investigators. Many abuses were never formally charged.
On April 19, 2026, 2,000 citizens are returning to Ridglan Farms — one person for every dog still trapped inside — to peacefully demand their release. This time, we expect law enforcement to be on the right side.
Your signature makes that record. Sign now.
What we demand
Release all dogs immediately
Use authority under Wis. Stat. § 173.13 and § 173.23 to order every beagle at Ridglan released to accredited rescue organizations.
File criminal charges
Prosecute the felony cruelty that Judge Lanford found any "reasonably prudent prosecutor" would charge.
Return the #Ridglan8
The 8 dogs illegally returned to their abusers by police must be placed with rescue organizations.
Drop charges against the rescuers
27 people were arrested for doing what the government refused to do for six years.
Sign this petition. Share it. The dogs cannot wait.
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