I appreciated Daily Cardinal’s article on Ridglan Farms and its ongoing litigation against the Madison-based animal rights advocacy group Dane4Dogs, as I think it is an issue that UW-Madison must grapple with head-on (“Unlawful activity? Dog breeder, advocates spar in lawsuit,” Sept 4, 2025).
Controversy around Ridglan Farms has swirled for years as allegations of distressed animals, poor living conditions, and ill-advised surgeries performed without pain relief have been lodged against the dog breeding company. During that time, animal rights groups have pushed to shutter the company, which sells beagles and other dogs for research use.
As this newspaper’s article noted, UW-Madison has purchased 19 dogs from Ridglan Farms since 2022. The university’s recent statement that they only purchase research animals from suppliers who are USDA licensed is not comforting in the least. Under the Animal Welfare Act, having a USDA license is the minimum standard for commercial dog and cat breeders.
UW-Madison’s attempt to hide behind Ridglan’s license instead of confronting the real issue of animal abuse and mistreatment is disgraceful. Just possessing a commercial license is not proof that these animals do not suffer horrifically when bred and raised in captivity — and again when they are utilized like disposable lab equipment in laboratory testing by institutions like UW.
There is a simple solution out of this optics issue for the university. University researchers can and should end the use of dogs and cats for animal testing and free themselves from the Ridglan Farms issue, taking a stand against the systematic abuse of these animals.
