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Dear John,
Last Friday, a Dane County judge dismissed our lawsuit on behalf of the 2,000 beagles currently suffering at Ridglan Farms. While the judge acknowledged the gravity of the situation—even noting that in 50 or 100 years, people may look back and wonder “what the heck were they thinking?”—he chose to dismiss the case anyway.
As you may know, Ridglan Farms has agreed to surrender its state breeder license by July 1, 2026 to avoid criminal prosecution. However, that agreement leaves a long and dangerous gap between now and then, during which there are zero protections for the dogs who remain at the facility. And some dogs may remain at the facility even after July 1.
Under the current status quo:
* Ridglan may feel empowered to kill dogs for non-medical reasons, as the prosecutor’s agreement does not specifically prohibit the practice.
* Ridglan is free to sell dogs for use in biomedical research.
* They can continue to house these beagles in similar conditions that led to a finding of probable cause of animal cruelty last year.
As the NhRP’s Executive Director, Christopher Berry, put it: “The time for justice for the dogs is now, not 50 years from now.”
Justice cannot tolerate dismissal of this action simply seeking to protect 2,000 beagles from animal cruelty. Our legal team, in partnership with the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, will appeal this decision.
We are fighting to have the court recognize the beagles' right to be free from cruelty and protected under the writ of Habeas Corpus which is supposed to protect from all manner of unlawful confinement. We aren't asking for the impossible—we are simply asking the court to use existing animal cruelty laws to protect these sentient beings from documented, unlawful cruelty.
The fact that a court refused to recognize the right of dogs and puppies to be free from animal cruelty shows how upside-down our legal system is when it comes to nonhuman animals.
This legal battle is uphill, and Ridglan is already attempting to cloud the issue with misinformation. They claim this lawsuit threatens agriculture or research; in reality, we are simply asking that existing animal cruelty laws actually be enforced.
We are prepared to continue this fight, but we cannot do this without you. We need you to help us amplify this call for justice. Please share this update with your network—spread the message that our legal system must recognize the fundamental right of these dogs to be free from cruelty. The more voices we have demanding justice, the harder we are to ignore.
If you are able, would you consider making a donation to support our continued legal effort on behalf of the Ridglan beagles and other nonhuman animals? Your support fuels our work and allows us to remain persistent despite the obstacles we will undoubtedly face.
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We will keep you updated every step of the way as the appeal progresses. Thank you for staying in this fight with us.
With gratitude,
The NhRP
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The NhRP is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation (Tax ID #: 04-3289466). It is solely through your donations that we can continue to work for the recognition and protection of fundamental rights for nonhuman animals.
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