1,500 beagles will find new homes after release from research facility

Nation May 3, 2026 6:38 PM EDT FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The first beagles removed from a Wisconsin dog breeding and research facility that was the site of recent protests seemed to know right away that they were safe. "They started within an hour or so coming up to us, wanting attention. Some crawled in people's laps. Every single one of them are super sweet," Lauree Simmons, president and founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, said Sunday. "I think they are loving the attention. I just know they know they're safe." Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy negotiated a confidential agreement to purchase the 1,500 dogs for an undisclosed price from Ridglan Farms, where police used tear gas and pepper spray to repel activists trying to take beagles from the facility last month. Protesters also broke into the facility in March and took 30 dogs. Sixty-three people were referred by the sheriff's department to the district attorney for potential charges related to that break-in. Talks to purchase the animals began months before the April disturbance, and Simmons said her group wasn't connected to the protests. Now, Big Dog Ranch Rescue is working with partners