PBS Wisconsin
District Attorney Tim Gruenke.
La Crosse District Attorney Tim Gruenke will be leading the probe of Ridglan Farms.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection conducted an inspection today at Ridglan Farms, a dog-breeding facility in southwest Dane County, on behalf of the Veterinary Examining Board, which licenses veterinarians and vet techs, sets professional standards, and reviews complaints.
Also today, La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke was appointed as the special prosecutor to lead an investigation into alleged animal cruelty at Ridglan. Dane County Judge Rhonda Lanford in mid-January ordered the appointment of a special prosecutor after Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne refused to investigate evidence of abuse provided to his office by animal advocates.
In an Oct. 23 hearing in Lanford’s court, two former Ridglan employees testifed how dogs were routinely subjected to painful procedures by non-veterinary staff without pre-surgery anesthesia or post-surgery pain medication. Veterinarians also testified that these procedures — to remove protruding eye glands and to cut out vocal cords — amounted to “mutilation” and were contrary to veterinary practice.
Ridglan Farms did not return a phone call for comment.
Sam Go, communications director for DATCP, says in an email to Isthmus that DATCP staff were at Ridglan to support the Veterinary Examining Board and “were there conducting a VEB follow-up inspection.”
“All findings from today’s inspection will be reviewed by the Veterinary Examining Board and they will determine next steps as appropriate,” she said. The VEB, she added, “is an independent board that is attached to the DATCP for administrative purposes; the Board operates independently of DATCP for enforcement of VEB regulations.”
As Isthmus reported on Jan. 16, Ridglan is under investigation by DATCP for recurring violations of state animal welfare standards. The agency issued on Nov. 8 an “Initial Notice of Non-Compliance” following an inspection in June and follow-up inspection in September. The problems cited by inspectors at Ridglan, which is home to more than 3,000 “purpose-bred” beagles that are sold or used for research, included dogs not receiving “daily human positive contact and socialization” and not getting treatment for “injuries apparent to DATCP staff.” DATCP followed this with a “Notice of Administrative Conference” regarding the findings from the two inspections.
DATCP has statutory authority to suspend the license of a facility when there is “evidence that an act of animal cruelty” has occurred.
The request for a special prosecutor was filed in March 2024 by Dane4Dogs, Alliance for Animals, and Wayne Hsiung of The Simple Heart. Steffen Seitz, a litigation fellow with the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, which represents Dane4Dogs, praised the appointment of a special prosecutor.
“We are encouraged by Tim Gruenke’s appointment to investigate Ridglan’s ongoing animal cruelty,” Seitz said in a Feb. 5 news release. “For years, thousands of beagles have suffered in Ridglan’s cages while complaints went unheeded. We trust that D.A. Gruenke will follow the evidence, which clearly shows these dogs have endured unnecessary pain and suffering in violation of Wisconsin law.”
