April 18, 2026Updated April 19, 2026, 9:33 a.m. ET
Hundreds of animal activists tried to storm a Wisconsin beagle-breeding facility and take the dogs in a “rescue” mission on April 18, fast-tracking the raid they were planning for the next day.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in an update on social media that 300 to 400 people were “violently trying to break in” to the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, and were trying to “assault” deputies on the scene as of about 11:30 a.m. local time.
No dogs had been removed from the facility as of 2 p.m. on April 18, Ridglan said in a statement. The statement said most of the people who attempted to break in had left by about 2 p.m., but some remained on the roadway and the facility didn’t know if any would return.
The action was originally planned for the morning of April 19, as the facility has been embroiled in allegations of mistreatment of animals, which it firmly denies. In March, a similar operation led to 27 people being arrested and over 20 dogs taken from the facility, which breeds the dogs to sell for scientific research.
Organizers said in a blog post the morning of April 18 that “this was the right moment, so we are seizing it.”
Barrett said activists have ladders and break-in tools to get through the fence where, according to photos shared with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, Ridglan Farms has recently ramped up security around the facility.
The organizers previously said they planned to enter the facility and remove an estimated over 2,000 dogs, by any peaceful means necessary. They prohibited participants from bringing any kind of weaponry, including pepper spray, and prepped them for the possibility that they could face arrest and up to felony charges.
“The concept behind open rescue is that we have a legal and moral obligation to go in when no one else has acted to protect these animals,” Lisa Castagnozzi, a Milwaukee animal advocate leading a support team for the operation, previously told the Journal Sentinel.
What’s happening at Ridglan Farms?
Videos posted on social media showed a chaotic scene with hundreds of people gathered outside the fenced facility, climbing over hay bales and fencing while sheriff’s deputies in gas masks deploy tear gas, with some activists being helped up from the ground.
Ridglan Farms told the Journal Sentinel activists launched a raid on the property starting at about 9 a.m. Saturday.
At about 10 a.m., an activist driving a pickup truck rammed through a gate and drove through the property at high speed, nearly hitting police, security staff and bystanders before being arrested, according to Ridglan.
Barrett said activists were blocking emergency services on the road.
“I want to be very clear that this is not a peaceful protest anymore,” Barrett said.
Organizer Wayne Hsiung said on his Facebook page that the group attempted to serve Ridglan with a lawsuit April 18 alleging violent threats by armed security.
“At least a dozen activists have been arrested,” Hsiung said in an April 18 post on social media. An update from his account said he had also been taken to jail.
Matt Johnson, spokesperson for the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, said on April 18 that organizers are negotiating with Ridglan to purchase the dogs. Anonymous donors have offered $1 million for the release of all 2,000 dogs at the facility, Johnson said.
Operation launched a day early
The “Ridglan Rescue” activists previously said they hoped to gather at least 2,000 volunteers to storm the facility the morning of April 19 and remove all the beagles from the property. Barrett had warned the activists that law enforcement would be present at Ridglan Farms to support their right to free speech, but would not tolerate law-breaking, calling the action a planned “intentional break-in.”
“We have to draw a decisive line between peacefully protesting and disagreeing, and violently breaking into a facility, damaging property and stealing private property,” Barrett said. “I want anyone who’s coming from the outside into our community to respect our laws and respect the values we have here in Dane County.”
“Sometimes the only way to make change is to be the change ourselves… if the politicians won’t rescue the dogs, we will,” Hsiung said in a social media post earlier this week responding to the sheriff’s office.
What is Ridglan Farms? Why is it controversial?
Ridglan Farms is a facility about 30 miles outside Madison, Wisconsin, in Blue Mounds and licensed by the state as a dog breeding operation. It breeds thousands of beagles and sells them to laboratories for medical and scientific research and has operated for nearly 60 years.
Last year, an appointed special prosecutor found that Ridglan had violated veterinary standards after former employees testified that dogs were being mistreated by having eye operations done on them without general anesthesia. The conduct constituted animal mistreatment, the prosecutor found. Other claims weren’t substantiated by the prosecutor.
To avoid prosecution, the facility agreed to surrender its state breeding license by July 1, according to the special prosecutor’s report, ending its practice of selling dogs to outside researchers. It can continue breeding dogs for its own internal research.
“No credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated,” Ridglan Farms says on its website.
Have there been charges against animal activists?
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office announced that after over a month since the March break-in, it has referred 70 criminal charges for 63 people to the local district attorney, which will decide whether to pursue them. The charges range from burglary and trespassing to conspiracy and damage to property.
“When people start breaking in and breaking the law, we have to intervene,” Barrett previously said.
The district attorney’s office has not responded to a request for comment.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Source link
