300 beagles have been removed from Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin through an adoption agreement

The first vans full of beagles left Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin on Friday, beginning an effort to move about 1,500 of the 2,000 dogs from the controversial breeding facility to rescues and shelters across the country.

FOX6 Milwaukee reported that 300 dogs were removed from the Marshall, Wisconsin, facility on Friday, and hundreds more are expected to leave in at least the next 10 days. The dogs were examined by veterinarians, vaccinated and given Benadryl to prevent reactions before being delivered to animal welfare groups.

The release follows an agreement between Ridglan Farms, Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy to purchase 1,500 of the center’s nearly 2,000 beagles for an undisclosed price. The dogs are expected to receive medical exams, microchips and vaccinations before being tested for adoption, according to the Associated Press.

“It’s a huge win and I’m thrilled to get these dogs out and into loving homes,” Lauree Simmons, president and founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, said in a statement.

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Simmons said most dogs will need to learn basic home life, including leash walking and housebreaking.

The transfer marks a major turning point in a years-long battle against Ridglan Farms, a Blue Mounds property that has been breeding beagles for scientific research for more than 60 years. Animal welfare advocates have long accused the agency of mistreating dogs and subjecting them to painful experiments.

Ridglan has denied animal cruelty and said his work supports biomedical research that benefits both humans and animals.

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The agency agreed last year to hand over the state’s breeding license on July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution for animal cruelty. A special prosecutor ruled that Ridglan performed eye procedures on dogs that violated animal welfare standards.

The release comes days after Rep. Nicholas Langworthy, RN.Y., urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya to end government funding for research involving dogs taken from Ridglan Farms.

“This issue is not about opposing scientific progress; it is about ensuring that federally funded research reflects ethical standards and scientific progress,” Langworthy wrote in an April 24 letter.

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Langworthy called on the NIH to provide a list of valid grants and contracts involving dogs from Ridglan and other commercial breeders, “immediately stop funding of any projects that depend on Ridglan beagles,” and create a timeline to end federal support for invasive research using experimentally bred dogs and cats and euthanasia.

“The American people expect their tax dollars to reflect fiscal responsibility and basic values ​​of good governance,” Langworthy wrote. “Ending support for beagles that breed for painful tests before euthanasia is consistent with those values.”

An official from the NIH told Fox News last month that the dog breeder does not receive grants directly from the NIH, despite some requests from the public.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration have worked to freeze funding for animal testing at the NIH. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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“Ridglan Farms is a commercial dog breeder, not a research facility, and does not receive NIH grants or funding,” an NIH spokesperson told Fox News in an April 20 email.

“It actively supports the development and use of new methods (NAMs) and will continue to invest in these alternatives.”

The Trump administration worked to rid the US government of dog testing under RFK Jr., it added.

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“The NIH recently announced a $150 million investment to expand human-based approaches that better reflect biological science,” the statement concluded. “This funding supports organoids, computer models, and other tools to improve the way diseases and treatments are studied. The investment is part of a broader shift toward predictive, human-centered science.”

Although it is possible for NIH-funded institutions to purchase animals from Ridglan Farms, purchases made by private grants are not the same as NIH funding or vendor support.

The removal of the dogs also follows a series of ongoing protests in Ridglan. About 1,000 activists 18 tried to enter the center on April 18 in an attempt to free the beagles, which led to a law enforcement response that included tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray. The County Sheriff’s Department said 29 people were arrested.

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Activists had entered the center in March and removed 30 beagles. Ridglan later described April’s attempt as an attack on a “violent mob,” while activists accused the police of using excessive force.

Animal rights lawyers from the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project at the University of Denver called the release “a testament to the determination and perseverance of activists in Wisconsin and across the country who have not given up on dogs.”

“This is their achievement,” the group said in a statement to Fox News. “All Ridglan dogs deserve a forever loving home like the ones we have already adopted into our families. About a thousand of them will now live out their lives in peace; the remaining dogs deserve nothing and must be released immediately.”

“Next, we must put an end to the disgusting practice of testing dogs.”

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The agreement does not cover all dogs at Ridglan. Advocates say they will continue to push for the release of the remaining beagles held at the facility, while shelters in Wisconsin and beyond prepare to take in dogs that advocates say have never lived without captivity.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.