The case
What's been documented
Five findings established by regulators, courts, and sworn testimony. Each is a public-record fact, not advocacy framing.
311 DATCP violations
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection cited Ridglan Farms for 311 violations.
Source: DATCP citation record
Probable cause for felony animal cruelty
Dane County Circuit Judge Rhonda Lanford found probable cause for felony animal cruelty charges.
Source: Lanford ruling, Dane County Circuit Court
Unlicensed eye surgeries without anesthesia
The Veterinary Examining Board confirmed that eye surgeries were conducted by unlicensed staff without anesthesia, pain management, or post-operative care.
Source: Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board
Devocalization surgeries on conscious dogs
Former employees of Ridglan Farms testified under oath that devocalization surgeries were performed on conscious dogs without anesthesia by unlicensed personnel.
Source: Sworn employee testimony
Lead veterinarian's license suspended
The Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board suspended the license of Ridglan's lead veterinarian, Dr. Richard Van Domelen, after determining that he delegated hundreds of surgical procedures to unlicensed staff.
Source: Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board
The remaining 500+ beagles
Approximately 1,500 of the estimated 2,000 dogs at Ridglan have been placed in safe homes following the April 2026 rescue action and ongoing legal proceedings. ~500 beagles remain at the facility and are expected to be sold to research-related buyers.
The Buyers page ranks every entity that has bought dogs from Ridglan in the past, by period — those are the companies most likely to receive future shipments. The Take action page lists every known buyer with contact details and pre-built outreach scripts.
Major media coverage
- CNN— Apr 19, 2026
- Democracy Now!— Apr 21, 2026
- The Guardian— May 3, 2026
- The New York Times— May 4, 2026
- ABC News
- The Wall Street Journal
Attribution
The five documented findings and the media coverage list above are compiled by Rise for Animalsand The Marty Project as part of the Ridglan buyers campaign. They appear here mirrored, with permission, alongside this site's own primary-source archive.
The DATCP CVI archive itself (every shipment listed on /shipments and /buyers) is the work of Dane4Dogs.