GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Twenty beagles that used to live at the controversial Ridglan Farms facility in Dane County arrived in Green Bay Monday evening.
The dogs made it to the Wisconsin Humane Society Green Bay campus around 6:30, where they met and went home with their new foster families.
“These dogs haven’t been outside very much, they haven’t been going on walks, they haven’t been hugged and cuddled like we do to our animals at home,” Wisconsin Humane Society Green Bay media specialist Corey Viars told Local 5 News about the dogs’ lives at Ridglan Farms. “There will be an adjustment period, but we’re confident we’ll get them into the loving homes pretty quickly.”
Ridglan Farms is a controversial breeding and research facility in Dane County. After activists attempted to break into the facility and seize the beagles last month, two animal rights advocacy groups struck a deal with Ridglan Farms to buy 1500 of the company’s 2000 beagles for an undisclosed amount.
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Agencies around the country are now taking in the dogs, including the Wisconsin Humane Society of Green Bay. They received 20 beagles on Monday, and Viars tells Local 5 News they’ll get 25 more dogs later this week.
“We’re really excited to be part of their lives, their next step, we’re hoping they can adjust pretty quickly so they can get into more stable loving homes, and we’re really excited to welcome them here,” he said. “The big word is excited.”
Across all of its campuses statewide, Viars said the Wisconsin Humane Society received 130 Ridglan Farms beagles.
Officials from the Wisconsin Humane Society of Green Bay picked up the beagles from the Dane County Humane Society on Monday afternoon and chauffeured them up to Green Bay. After a quick vet checkup and behavior assessment, the dogs met their foster families.
“When I saw the news on television and saw the dogs on television and the dogs in the kennel and the people raising their voices, it hit home with us,” Steve Wilke said when asked why he wanted to foster one of the beagles. “I said I’d like to do this, so we did.”
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The dogs will eventually get spayed and neutered. Once they have sufficiently acclimated to life as a pet, they’ll become eligible for adoption. The foster families will have first dibs on adopting the beagle they fostered.
“I have seven grandkids, and I think this is going to be an adoption, definitely an adoption,” Wilke said. “They need a good home, and they’re going to get one at our home, I know that.”
Viars said he expects that once the beagles become eligible, they will get adopted quickly. For more information about the Wisconsin Humane Society Green Bay adoption program, please click here.
Viars said the animal shelter has received an influx of donations since news got out that the Ridglan Farms beagles were coming to Green Bay.
