This series recounts - LIVE - the court proceedings that led to a judge's historic order to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate animal cruelty allegations against Ridglan Farms, which houses about 3,200 beagles. Most of the dogs are sold to research facilities, though some are tested on at the breeding facility itself. UnchainedTV offered LIVE coverage of the case and even served as the pool video camera for one crucial hearing. Watch this series and experience animal rights history in the making. The company is invited on any time.

In 2017, animal rights activists, led by Direct Action Everywhere co-founder Wayne Hsiung, conducted an undercover investigation at Ridglan. Their video footage was extremely disturbing. It showed dogs with open wounds and engaging in “manic barking and spinning.” In its opinion, the court cited an animal behaviorist who studied the video and concluded that “the dogs were traumatized and suffering unnecessarily and excessively.” The facility has a history of state and federal animal welfare citations.

After unsuccessfully trying to get the Dane County District Attorney to investigate the facility, Dane4Dogs, Alliance for Animals and Wayne Hsiung petitioned the court to intervene. At an October 2024 hearing, the court was presented with the video footage, testimony of former Ridglan employees, and expert witnesses including veterinarians.

The judge's ruling made history because it referred to animal welfare laws, which are generally ignored by law enforcement and the courts. There was testimony alleging some extremely cruel practices at the facility: the removal of the dogs’ “cherry-eye” tissue and vocal cord surgery to render the dogs unable to bark, said to be done without anesthesia and conducted by non-veterinarians.

This article offers a detailed explanation of the case: https://www.jhutoxicologypolicyresearch.org/tox-blog/blog52