Ridglan

Ridglan Farms
Subjectbreeding facilityBlue Mounds, WI

Class A USDA-licensed beagle breeding facility. Approximately 3,200 dogs and 16 employees as of September 2024. Breeds beagles for sale to animal testing laboratories.

Personnel

2021–2022
2006–2010
Leah StaleyEmployee
Al OlsonEmployee
Richard Van DomelenLead Veterinarian / Facility Manager

Violation Flags (6)

Felony — 951.02cherry eye surgery2006-2022

Cherry eye removal surgeries performed by non-veterinarians (Staley, Hiltbrandt, Olson) without anesthesia, blood control, or aftercare, resulting in mutilation.

Felony — 951.02devocalization surgery2006-2010

Devocalization surgeries performed by non-veterinarians with paralytic agent but no anesthesia, removing vocal cords from 30-40 dogs at a time monthly, resulting in mutilation.

Misdemeanor — 951.02wire flooring2006-2024

Wire mesh flooring systemically causing foot injuries — interdigital cysts, lacerations, infections. Cited by inspectors in 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024. Never corrected.

Misdemeanor — 951.14ventilation failure2022-2024

Toxic ammonia levels causing inspector nausea. Drainage systems failing to eliminate waste. Dogs exposed 24/7 to harmful gases.

Misdemeanor — 951.14inadequate space2016-2024

Dogs housed alone in small cages stacked atop one another. Stereotypic behaviors (spinning, pacing, wall bouncing) documented since 2016. 3,200 dogs with only 16 employees.

Misdemeanor — 951.14sanitation failure2022-2024

Fecal buildup in cages and catch pans. Decomposing feces remaining for days. Stagnant waste water. 16 employees for 3,200 dogs makes adequate cleaning impossible.

Inspections (5)

DATCPSeptember 16, 2024routineEx. 19
3,200 dogs / 16 employees

Same drainage failure as June 2024 — three months after citation. Dog limping, not bearing weight on right front leg. Scratches/puncture wounds with no documentation.

drainagesanitationinjurydocumentation
DATCPJune 6, 2024routineEx. 18
3,200 dogs / 16 employees

Drainage systems not constructed/operated to rapidly eliminate animal waste. Dog limping with ruptured interdigital cyst — no documentation on enclosure card.

drainagesanitationinjurydocumentation
USDADecember 5, 2023routineEx. 17

Some weaned and preweaning-aged puppies in eleven enclosures had feet or legs passing through smooth-coated mesh floors when they walked.

flooring
DATCPJuly 6, 2022routineEx. 16

Approximately 30% of enclosures had rusty or worn wire coating. Ammonia/odor level bad enough to cause inspector nausea. Throat and nostrils irritated for hours after visit.

structuralventilationammonia
DATCPOctober 26, 2016routineEx. 14

Puppies' feet and legs passing through gaps in flooring. Stereotypic behaviors including circling, pacing, and wall bouncing noted in adult dogs.

flooringstereotypic_behavior

Related Facts (51)

A1Ridglan Farms is a Class A USDA-licensed beagle breeding facility in Dane County, Wisconsin.#1
A1As of September 2024, Ridglan houses approximately 3,200 dogs and employs approximately 16 full-time staff.#2
A2Three of the sixteen employees' duties primarily consist of dog socialization, averaging approximately two minutes per dog per week.#3
A1Dogs at Ridglan are confined singly in wire mesh cages, never taken on walks, never let outside, and never removed except to be transferred or shipped.#5
A1Scott Gilbertson testified that in January 2022, he participated in cherry eye removal surgeries as part of his employment duties at Ridglan.#6
A1During cherry eye surgeries, Gilbertson held down the dog while Leah Staley cut an eye gland without anesthesia, blood control, or aftercare.#7
A1Cherry eye surgeries caused substantial bleeding: 'There would usually be a puddle on the floor — a pretty good size puddle.' Performed on a near daily basis.#9
A1Matthew Reich testified he held down dogs while Jim Hiltbrandt or Al Olson conducted cherry eye removal without anesthesia, blood control, or aftercare on a near daily basis (2006-2010).#10
A1Reich testified about devocalization surgeries: dogs given a paralytic agent but no anesthesia, then Hiltbrandt or Olson cut and removed their vocal cords. 30-40 dogs at a time, monthly.#12
A1Gilbertson testified that cherry eye removal was a 'standard operating practice' at Ridglan, tracked on a whiteboard.#15
B1Wire mesh flooring at Ridglan systematically causes foot injuries — interdigital cysts, lacerations, and infections — documented since 2006.#19
B1DATCP October 2016: 'Puppies' feet and legs were passing through the gaps in the flooring.'#20
B1DATCP July 2022: 'Approximately 30% of the enclosures with walls constructed of coated wire had some degree of rust or the wire coating was worn off.'#21
B1DATCP July 2022: Inspector reported ammonia/odor level 'bad enough that I experienced nausea on one occasion, and my throat and nostrils were irritated for several hours after I left the facility.'#22
B1USDA December 2023: 'Some of the weaned puppies and preweaning-aged puppies in eleven enclosures were observed to have feet or legs pass through the smooth-coated mesh floors.'#23
B1DATCP June 2024: Drainage systems not rapidly eliminating animal waste. Dog limping with ruptured interdigital cyst — no documentation.#24
B1DATCP September 2024: Same drainage failure as June 2024 — only three months after being cited. Dog limping with scratches/puncture wounds, no documentation.#25
B1Reich testified he saw dogs with large blisters or ulcers — sometimes the size of golf balls — between their toes on a daily basis. In five years, he never saw anyone replace a cage.#26
B1Gilbertson testified the flooring was wire with rust in some spots. He saw dogs with inflamed feet or lying down for long periods to relieve pressure daily.#27
B1Hsiung observed dogs confined singly to small cages with several dogs spinning endlessly when he entered Ridglan in April 2017.#28
B1DATCP October 2016 noted: 'A number of adult dogs in the facility were displaying prominent stereotypical behaviors; such as: circling, pacing, and wall bouncing.'#29
B1Gilbertson testified he saw hundreds of dogs in solitary confinement — never taken on walks, never let outside, never removed from cages except to transfer.#33
B1Gilbertson testified about daily abnormal behaviors including fighting and spinning. Ridglan did not separate fighting dogs.#34
B1Reich testified he saw a dead dog whose body cavity had been entered by cage-mates — they had apparently devoured a portion of the dog's innards.#35
D1In April 2017, Wayne Hsiung entered Ridglan Farms and documented conditions on video, including spinning dogs, wire flooring, and devocalized dogs.#36
D1Dr. Rosenberg testified conditions at Ridglan are significantly worse than Envigo, a facility recently shut down by the federal government.#43
B1Gilbertson was assigned to clean hundreds of cages by himself — 'a near impossible task given the scale of Ridglan and the understaffing.'#44
B1Dr. Rosenberg testified that decomposing feces in Exhibits 18 and 19 had not been removed for days, demonstrating systemic understaffing.#45
C1The DA's Office has been aware of criminal activity at Ridglan for over six years but has refused to even open an investigation.#46
C1DATCP has inspected Ridglan multiple times (2016, 2022, 2024x2). Each inspection finds problems. None result in meaningful enforcement.#58
C1The September 2024 DATCP inspection found the exact same drainage failure cited in the June 2024 inspection — three months earlier.#59
C1The December 2023 USDA inspection found puppies' feet passing through flooring — the same issue DATCP cited in 2016, seven years earlier.#60
F1Dr. Rosenberg testified that Ridglan's conditions are significantly worse than dog production facilities recently shut down by the federal government, such as Envigo.#62
A1Gruenke's investigation found that the strongest evidence of a crime was related to cherry eye surgeries performed by non-veterinarians without anesthesia.#78
C1DATCP cited Ridglan Farms for 311 violations: 308 counts of mistreating dogs and 3 counts of failing to perform required daily health checks, dating back to 2022.#79
C1DATCP proposed a civil forfeiture of $55,148.50 in fines and fees for the 311 violations.#80
A1Most of the 311 DATCP violations involve cherry eye surgery — removing a third eye gland without any anesthetic.#81
A1Richard Van Domelen, Ridglan's lead veterinarian and facility manager, had his license unanimously suspended by the Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board on September 30, 2025.#82
A1Van Domelen's license was suspended for delegating cherry eye removal surgeries to unlicensed employees without proper anesthesia.#83
C1Earlier in 2025, the Veterinary Examining Board had allowed Van Domelen to keep practicing under conditions, but a surprise inspection found record-keeping problems, triggering the emergency suspension.#84
E1On October 28, 2025, Ridglan Farms agreed to surrender its DATCP license to sell purpose-bred beagles to outside researchers by July 1, 2026, in exchange for the special prosecutor not filing criminal charges.#85
E2Under the settlement, Ridglan may retain approximately 84 beagles for internal research but cannot sell dogs to outside labs.#86
E2Ridglan Farms does not admit to having any criminal or civil liability in the settlement.#87
C1All 28 of Ridglan Farms' USDA inspection records were prepared by the same USDA Veterinary Medical Officer: Scott Welch.#88
C1When USDA inspector Welch worked alone, he documented violations at Ridglan only 4% of the time (1 of ~25 inspections).#89
C1When Welch was accompanied by other USDA staff, the violation rate jumped to 50%. When accompanied by USDA Animal Care Specialists, the rate was 100%.#90
C1The USDA recorded no violations in 25 of 28 inspection records — while DATCP, inspecting the same facility, found 311 violations.#91
F1Ridglan Farms, Inc. is the nation's second-largest research dog breeder. It has operated since the 1960s.#92
F1Ridglan Farms holds both a USDA Class A license (breeder) and a USDA Class R license (research facility).#93
D1On March 15, 2026, approximately 100 activists from the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs marched to the facility. A smaller group entered and removed approximately 22 beagles.#94
D1Police intercepted two vans carrying rescued beagles. 27 activists were arrested, including Wayne Hsiung and actress Alexandra Paul. They were released March 17.#95