A Litigation Article used with permission from All-Creatures.org

Tamara Bedić reports on the appointment of an independent prosecutor who will investigate Ridglan Farms, the breeding facility accused of severe mistreatment of beagles.

Judge to appoint special prosecutor to investigate dog breeder Ridglan Farms
From Tamara Bedić, Esq., TheAnimalReader.com
January 2025

Photo from Canva

A judge in Wisconsin will allow an independent prosecutor to investigate Ridglan Farms, the second-largest dog breeding and experimentation facility in the United States.

Ridglan Farms, one of only two major beagle breeders for experimentation in the US, has been accused of severe mistreatment. Reports describe dogs kept in isolated cages and denied outdoor access and social interaction.

Many animals display signs of stereotypic behavior, such as constant pacing and spinning. Injuries, including untreated lesions and infections, are widespread.

Former employees provided shocking testimony, including descriptions of surgeries performed on dogs without anesthesia and cannibalism.

Animal advocates argue that cruelty is inherent in facilities like Ridglan, where dogs are bred and sold for profit.

“Dogs should be at home with families, not locked in cages or treated like test tubes,” said Steffen Seitz of the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project (AALDP).

Activists hope the appointment of a special prosecutor will lead to justice for the dogs and increased scrutiny of the animal experimentation industry.

DXE and Ridglan farms

“For years, I begged the government to help the Ridglan dogs. But instead of investigating Ridglan, the government tried to throw me in jail after I took a blind puppy out of her cage and to the vet,” Wayne Hsiung, a former co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere (DXE), said in a social media post.

In 2017, Hsiung and two other DXE members entered Ridglan Farms and rescued three distressed beagles, documenting extremely poor conditions at the farm.

All three rescuers criticized the conditions they witnessed on social media. Their public posts – a key part of DXE’s Right to Rescue ideology – led to their arrest.

Never denying what they did, the three DXE members were charged with felony burglary and felony theft, facing up to 16 years in jail and $35,000 in fines.

The defendants fully intended to argue the necessity for rescuing three female beagles during their criminal trial.

But ten days before the trial would start, Ridglan Farm dropped all charges. All three rescuers were acquitted, and criminal charges against them were dismissed.

Even though the charges were dropped, the group pushed for the evidence they collected to be used to investigate the facility. The former defendants, joined by Dane4Dogs and Alliance for Animals, became citizen petitioners to expose Ridglan Farms and (ultimately) free the thousands of dogs at the facility.

The animal rights activists and organizations joined forces in the civil court case to appoint a special investigator. Their goal is to shut down Ridglan Farms and rehome all the dogs, just as the investigation of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) eventually led to the closing of Envigo in 2022.

Former employees testimony

On October 23, Hsiung, Dane4Dogs and Alliance for Animals were granted a hearing before Judge Lanford to establish if there was enough evidence of criminal negligence and animal cruelty to justify appointing an independent investigator.

Six people testified during the all-day hearing, including Hsiung, cognitive ethologist Marc Bekoff, and veterinarians Lowell Wickman and Sherstin Rosenberg. The most impactful testimony was from two ex-Ridglan employees: Scott Gilbertson and Matthew Reich.

Gilbertson and Reich testified to cherry eye surgeries performed on beagles without anesthesia beforehand and without painkillers afterward. Gilbertson testified that the dogs would “yelp and thrash.”

Reich testified that “blood pour(ed) down my hands.” He also testified that when puppies were several months old, he held them while their vocal cords were removed (debarking). 30-40 dogs were debarked at a time. The debarking surgery was also done without anesthesia and painkillers.

Both surgeries were done by non-veterinarians, in violation of Wisconsin’s veterinary code [VE 1.44(2)(c)].

“One year ago, we were facing very serious felony charges for rescuing beagles from Ridglan Farms,” Hsiung said on YouTube. “A court turned the tables on the industry—it is now prosecuting Ridglan Farms.”

More articles on The Animal Reader.

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Posted on All-Creatures: March 3, 2025
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