A major U.S. dog breeder embroiled in controversy over the alleged inhumane treatment of its animals is donating all of its animals following protests, a criminal investigation and an agreement to give up its dog breeding license.
Florida-based rescue operation Big Dog Ranch Rescue, which began homing some dogs released from Ridglan Farms’ massive Wisconsin facility last month, announced on Monday that Ridglan has agreed to shutter its testing operations and transfer all of its remaining dogs to them.
“Big Dog Ranch Rescue has secured a binding legal agreement for the permanent closure of Ridglan Farms,” said Lauree Simmons, founder of the rescue, at a press conference. “Not one dog will remain. No more breeding, no more testing, no more anything.”
Ridglan did not confirm that it would be shutting down its entire operation, but said in a statement to the IJB that the remaining dogs will be donated by the end of August.
“These are all happy, healthy animals as demonstrated by extensive USDA inspection documentation and also the most recent (Wisconsin state) inspection, which occurred just a few weeks ago,” Ridglan said in the statement. “We hope these dogs will continue to flourish in their new homes.”
IJB reporting last year found Ridglan had supplied dogs to Canadian researchers at Toronto’s Nucro-Technics, a private company that bills itself as Canada’s largest contract research organization.
Following an IJB investigation into the use of dogs in scientific testing last year, Ontario outlawed invasive research on dogs and cats in May. The IJB investigation also detailed the use of dogs in a lab inside St. Joseph’s hospital in London, Ont. That program, which included inducing heart attacks in beagles, shut down within days of the IJB’s publication.
In October 2025, Ridglan first halted its dog breeding and selling operations following a state investigation into animal cruelty allegations. The charges ended in a deal with the state that stipulated that Ridglan would make “no admission of fault or criminal or civil liability.” Their research license is still active, according to the online U.S. Department of Agriculture portal.
For some, Ridglan has become a symbol of outdated animal practices that put profit over humane care.
“The public is increasingly asking, ‘What are we doing to dogs right now?,’ while much of the scientific community remains focused on, ‘What will we do without dogs?’,“ said Dr. Charu Chandrasekera, a scientist, policy advocate, and founder of the Canadian Institute for Animal-Free Science.
“The scientific and regulatory tides have clearly turned.”
In May, nearly 1,000 protesters converged on the sprawling Ridglan facility in Wisconsin in an attempt to rescue the dogs. Images of the protestors being pepper-sprayed, tear-gassed, and dragged away were widely covered across U.S. media outlets.
“The closure of Ridglan Farms really shows that determined pressure by animal rights activists and concerned animal lovers can reach the highest levels of government and help influence public opinion to make real positive change,” said Jenny McQueen, a Toronto activist who was pepper-sprayed at the protest.
“The violence against us helped everyone become aware, and swayed public opinion against these awful animal-abusing industries.”
Ridglan has characterized the May incident as an assault on its facility.
“We ask that the years-long harassment campaign targeting the research facility’s owners, staff and neighbours come to an end,” the company said in its written statement to the IJB on Wednesday. “We also hope Wisconsin’s legal system will hold accountable the individuals who organized and carried out the repeated violent assaults and thefts that have recently taken place at our facility.”
Some in the research field see the latest developments as a hindrance to scientific research.
“Most of the animals at Ridglan Farms were primarily involved in veterinary research,” said Paula Clifford, executive director of Americans for Medical Progress. “In other words, research benefiting other dogs.”
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