This is the first of my reflections on my experience at the Open Rescue at Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin, held in April, 2026:

Background

Ridglan Farms, located in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, is both a research facility and a Beagle breeding farm that has been operating for more than 60 years. Beagles at the facility are sold and/or used for surgeries and biomedical experiments as human surrogates. The facility is privately owned. Relative to the “village” of Blue Mounds (as it is called), Ridglan Farms has an outsized impact. Owners and staff hold multiple roles which blur legal boundaries. For example, Richard Van Domelen, DVM who works for Ridglan Farms and lost his license because of violations of the Animal Welfare Act, is also the Blue Mounds Town Supervisor. His sister is listed as a deputy for Dane County Sheriff office through 2023. The son-in-law of Ridglan Farm’s owner is the Town Constable. These are just a few of the conflicts of interest apparently now coming to light. 

The use of Animals in research, education, and experiments which are ethically banned for humans is widespread. Millions upon millions of Animals whose species range from Cats, nonhuman Primates, Worms, Mice and Octopuses are routinely used and, if they survive biomedical procedures are usually killed and disposed. It is not well known that Dogs, “man’s best friend,” are also factory farmed and tortured. The reality is sobering and sad and scary and says much about who we are as humans.  

Beagle breeding is the largest part of Ridglan’s business.  At any one time there have been more than 2,000 Beagles living in wire crates, with wire floors on which they must eliminate on, stand and sleep on. They never see sunshine, run on grass, feel human love or play with each other.  The moms are forcibly impregnated, and their children are sold to other research facilities around the country where they are subjected to experiments like those at Ridglan.

In the research portion of the Ridglan Farms facility, there are approximately 250 Beagles at any one time being subjected to a variety of “research experiments” for the purpose of testing new pharmaceuticals and effects of exposure to specific chemicals. It is beyond comprehension to me as an ethical vegan to understand this.  There is no logical or scientific reason to experiment on live beings and torture Beagles in horrendous conditions and experiments. This is a profound betrayal.  What many people are not aware of is that most (some estimates are as high as 90%) drugs that pass Animal tests ultimately fail in human trials.  Animal experimentation is inefficient, ineffective, incredibly cruel and profoundly unethical.  Any one of these reasons is enough evidence to stop this totally unjustifiable practice.

Open Rescue

There is a history of Animal activism and open rescue at Ridglan. “Open” rescue means that nothing is hidden. Activists announce their goals and why and what they intend to do. The action is specifically nonviolent and based on “right to rescue” laws that allow ordinary citizens to rescue Animals in situations where they face immediate harm or the possibility of death.  For example, if a Dog is left in a hot car anyone can legally break into that car to save the Dog and will not face criminal arrest. The same is true for anyone saving a Dog from a burning building – no charges for any property damage in pursuit of saving the Animal.  This makes sense to most of us and is in fact law in most states. 

There were two recent open rescues at Ridglan. On March 15, 2026, open rescue activists were able to rescue 22 Beagles and get them to safety. Sadly, eight other Dogs were intercepted by police and returned to Ridglan. Watching the rescuers carry the Dogs through freezing rain to safety was one of as more than 30,000 humans reached out in the days following to ask how they could help save the Beagles.

A second open rescue was planned for April 2026 by lead organizer, Wayne Hsiung, Animal rights and constitutional law lawyer to save all 2,000 Dogs. Given that Ridglan reached an agreement in the fall of 2025 with a special prosecutor to surrender its breeding by July 1, 2026, to avoid criminal prosecution for felony Animal cruelty charges, the April open rescue sought to free the Dogs as soon as possible to avoid urther and unnecessary suffering. The hope was that the publicity prior to the open rescue announcing the nonviolent liberation effort would prompt Ridglan to release the Dogs to the many organizations and individuals who had volunteered to foster and adopt those Dogs, thus making it unnecessary for any direct action. The April nonviolent direct action open rescue was widely publicized. However, efforts to secure the release of the Dogs through negotiation and public pressure failed and so planning for the direct action continued.

I participated in the April rescue. Members of the open rescue were to meet Saturday, April 18. 2026, morning to train together for the purpose of better understanding the plan and practice nonviolence techniques. Notably, there has never been violence from authorities at an open rescue so there was very little expectation or concern for police violence leading to the day. But the Ridglan rescue was entirely different.

April 18, authorities refused to allow the activists to gather in the park planned for nonviolent teaching and practice. Because so many activists had committed to this effort (estimated 2000 individuals), the organizers decided to move forward with the open rescue.  We then all drove to Ridglan Farms about 30 minutes outside Madison, Wisconsin.

Activists had already chosen and were assigned to specific teams with specific responsibilities. The Red Team would breach the buildings and personally rescue Dogs from cages, carrying them to safety in transport vehicles. Yellow Team would support Red Team members and shield them from authorities making sure they could get through fencing, and to the appropriate vehicles. Green Team members would stay on public property, providing information and answering any question from police officers, reporters and the public, and singing peace songs and waving flowers to deescalate any potential conflict. Pink Team members were on hand in case of any injury or illness.

The scene that greeted us was surreal and incredibly difficult to comprehend. Authorities chose to support the facility and attack the activists. Arriving activists were met with a scene of chaos with police officers dressed in full military gear, police vehicles blocking roads, police officers setting off tear gas canisters amidst activists, pepper spraying activists directly in the eyes, shooting people with rubber bullets, shoving, hitting and kicking activists, even while  activist were on the ground or held their hands in the air. 

It took a while to understand this was really happening.  Our own government had turned on us.  After prior friendly conversations between Dane County Sheriff Barrett and Wayne Hsiung, it appeared that Barrett began to better understand the law and the specific intent of activists. However, what transpired was police inciting violence.

And while the horror of facing violence from police – those people who swear an oath to “protect and serve” – was settling in, the solidarity among activists and our combined commitment to nonviolence was incredibly inspiring and also surreal.  I have been studying Engaged Buddhism in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and thought a lot about nonviolence in thought, word and action during this time.  It was extremely difficult to maintain calm when confronted with the outrage of violence from the police and various other security personnel. There were a few harsh words from activists but mostly imploring police to be kind and to stop what they were doing. We asked for them to step up and protect activists and Dogs, not Animal abusers, not corporations, not money.  I understood this was all about money and retaining full control of power.  I still get such a sick feeling when I think of all the violence. 

The direct action ended about six hours after it began with activists agreeing to leave the facility.  We implored the authorities to release at least one Dog to safety, but they refused to even consider the request.  It was a sobering and distressed retreat.  Many activists were physically and psychologically harmed.  Many were arrested and taken to jail.  Not one dog was rescued.

Shockingly, however, ten days after the action, an agreement between several Animal rescue organizations and Ridglan Farms was reached to secure the release of 1500 Dogs beginning May 1, 2026.  Another 500 dogs are currently under contract to various research facilities, but rescue organizations are continuing discussions to obtain their release as well. This result supports the positive effects of nonviolent direct action on seemingly intractable situations. 

For more information, visit https://savethedogs.io/about

Permission and photo credit to: The Coalition to Save The Ridglan Dogs