12 beagles, rescued from Wisconsin research facility, arrive in the UP

IRON RIVER, Mich. (WLUC) - Twelve beagles that spent their entire lives in a Wisconsin research facility are now getting a fresh start in animal shelters across the Upper Peninsula.

The dogs came from Ridglan Farms, located about 25 miles outside Madison, Wisc. The facility has faced years of protests and allegations of animal cruelty. Last week, Ridglan Farms agreed to sell 1,500 beagles to rescue organizations Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy. An agreement, advocates say, is a major step toward getting the dogs out of the facility.

One of those advocates, Liz Lindquist, joined a protest at Ridglan Farms last month after seeing posts about the operation online.

“There were 2,000 beagles at this place, and this facility had (more than 300) animal cruelty felony citations against them,” Lindquist said.

Some of the beagles are now in the care of Northwoods Animal Shelter in Iron River. Facility Manager Michelle Clements said the shelter went through an interview and approval process before receiving dogs.

“We were approved for six (beagles). They came in late two nights ago, three nights ago, and, since then, they’ve just been trying to acclimate to our facility,” Clements said.

Northwoods actually received 12 beagles. Six are now at Copper Country Humane Society in Houghton. Two are in a foster home arranged through Northwoods. Four remain at Northwoods, where staff estimates the dogs are under a year old.

Clements said the beagles arrived without names—only identification numbers tattooed inside their ears—so the team named the four at Northwoods after characters from The Peanuts.

“The dogs were not named after they came in. They all have tattoos in their ears (with) numbers. So, we named them after The Peanuts gang,” she said.

Shelter staff say the transition has been significant. Clements explained that the dogs are adjusting to basic routines many pets learn early, including eating and drinking normally.

“They have a problem drinking because they were drinking out of hamster bottles, so they’re learning how to drink. They’re learning how to eat,” Clements said. “None of them are potty trained, so that’s something we’re also working with.”

Even with those challenges, Clements said the beagles are making progress with the help of volunteers.

“They’re learning fast, they’re accepting human touch pretty fast, however, there’s still some shutdown,” she said.

For Lindquist and other activists, seeing the beagles reach shelters has been emotional.

“It was the biggest relief I’ve felt in my life,” Lindquist said. “I felt like…actually going and fighting for them paid off.”

Clements said it could be about a month before the dogs are ready for adoption, and the process will be strict. She said adopters must have a fenced-in yard, will need to already have an older dog at home and shelters will not allow anyone to adopt two of these beagles—because they want each dog placed in a different home.

For the latest updates, Clements recommends following the Northwoods Animal Shelter Facebook page.

Clements says the shelter could use donations to help care for the dogs. If you’d like to make a donation, you can do that here.

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