MADISON, WI – A follow-up September report of the conditions at the beagle breeder and experimenter Ridglan Farms here finds continuing animal cruelty law violations, and will be presented at an evidentiary hearing in October.
According to the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project (AALDP), initial reports found Ridglan Farms violated animal cruelty laws this June, leading to a follow-up investigation in September which indicated continued violations.
Steffen Seitz, a litigation fellow at the AALDP, described the conditions in Ridglan Farms, stating that “thousands are confined to cages in a warehouse, with no access to the outdoors and little socialization or other enrichment. Their bodies are mutilated. They are denied veterinary care. And they suffer psychological torment–they are driven crazy.”
The June 6 inspection report from this year details the particular case of a dog who, AALDP found, had “a large, ruptured cyst on her foot who did not appear to have received treatment; insufficient socialization, activity, and enrichment; and inadequate disposal of waste in multiple buildings, causing filth and stench.”
These conditions reportedly worsened from June to September, according to AALDP, leading to prosecution by Dane County.
However, this is not the first time Ridglan Farms has run afoul with law, said the advocates.
Rebekah Robinson, President of Dane4Dogs, explained, “Ridglan Farms has flaunted the law for over a decade, racking up repeated violations without any consequences, despite the fact that WI Act 90 gives DATCP the authority to revoke their license.”
Robinson’s report has been corroborated by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Animal Health and Plant Health Inspection Service, that reported violations of law dating back to 2006.
According to AALDP. Ridglan is not the only such facility that is facing scrutiny for animal cruelty violations. Earlier in 2022, Envigo–another commercial beagle breeder–was also shut down and ordered to pay $35 million for its “animal welfare violations.”
Many animal rights activists and organizations joined Dane County in their callout of Ridglan, such as Alliance for Animals, The Simple Heart Dane4Dogs, and AALDP.
An evidentiary hearing is set to take place Oct. 23 to discuss the findings of the inspection reports and the accounts of two former employees at Ridglan and will be presented by the Dane County Circuit Court attorneys.
