Animal Rights Activists Clash with Authorities at Wisconsin Dog Breeding Facility
In an unexpected turn of events, a Wisconsin dog breeding and testing facility became the focal point of a significant confrontation between animal rights activists and local law enforcement. This occurred on Saturday morning, a full day before a planned protest was set to take place.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett revealed that 300 to 400 activists attempted to force entry into Ridglan Farms, located in Blue Mounds. The facility is known for breeding beagles for scientific and veterinary studies.
According to Barrett, these individuals were armed with “break-in tools and were cutting through the fence” to gain access to the premises.
In a video posted on Facebook, Barrett emphasized, “I want to be very clear, this is not a peaceful protest. We have given warnings verbally, and have signs clearly identifying where they can peacefully protest, and they have ignored those signs and have come into the property and are actively causing a disturbance and chaos in our Dane County community.”
The facility is currently under a court settlement that mandates Ridglan Farms to either sell or relocate its remaining dogs by July 1. This agreement, reached last year, aims to prevent prosecution. The breeding license for the facility will expire after this date, though its research division will continue operations under a separate license.
This legal settlement stemmed from a special prosecutor’s investigation initiated in January 2025. It followed persistent efforts by activists to close what they regard as one of the largest beagle breeding facilities in the U.S. for research purposes.
Amy Van Aartsen, a member of the nonprofit advocacy group the Marty Project, stated that Wayne Hsiung, a known animal rights activist, was attempting to serve legal documents to Ridglan Farms when authorities arrested him.
Hsiung was listed in online jail records as having been booked for burglary at around 9:45 a.m. in Dane County Jail.
Van Aartsen further commented, “There was numerous law enforcement there with tear gas, many people were also hit with rubber bullets. The police response was just really devastating and disappointing.”
