Blind beagle 'rescued' from puppy mill thrives 8 years later
Blind beagle 'rescued' from puppy mill thrives
When Wayne Hsiung and two of his colleagues from Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) entered Ridglan Farms in the middle of the night in 2017, their mission was to document everything in pictures and video. But that's not all. They removed three beagle puppies from stacked metal cages.
MADISON, Wis. - When Wayne Hsiung and two of his colleagues from Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) entered Ridglan Farms in the middle of the night in 2017, their mission was to document everything in pictures and video. But that's not all. They removed three beagle puppies from stacked metal cages and - as alarms blared throughout the building - they rushed them into the darkness and fled.
She wouldn't stop spinning
What we know:
Video published by DxE shows long rows of beagles barking and frantically clawing at their cages as Hsiung zeroes in on a single puppy spinning endlessly inside a space totaling 8 square feet. Hsiung says the non-stop spinning is a classic sign of an animal suffering distress from the psychological torment of isolation.
"She’s going around and around in circles because she has nothing to do all day," he said.
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As the activists removed the spinning beagle from her cage, alarms sounded. They ran down a long corridor and slipped out a door into the dark night. According to court records, as the activists hid in the dark with the beagles they'd taken, Ridglan's lead veterinarian came rushing to the facility and found an open door, but did not immediately notice anything else amiss. He left and didn't return.
"It was an intense moment," Hsiung said.
The averted fate of DSP-6
What we don't know:
Ridglan Farms breeds beagle puppies for scientific research. Some are sold to private or public laboratories. Others undergo experiments right at Ridglan. It's not clear what Ridglan planned to do with the spinning beagle Hsiung whisked away or where she was headed next. At the time, she had no name - just a serial number tattooed inside her ear - DSP-6.
Hsiung and his colleagues named her Julie.
Life after Ridglan
What they're saying:
In the first few days outside the breeding barn, Julie struggled to walk. It was her first time feeling grass and hardwood floors. Eventually, Hsiung asked a fellow animal rights activist if she could take in a beagle puppy with a challenging background. Diana Navon agreed.
"She was nervous and scared of everything," Navon said. "She was super, super thin."
Eight years later, Julie lounges in soft, fluffy dog beds - a contrast to the grated metal cages at Riglan. She can run and play. And anytime Hsiung comes for a visit, the same thing happens.
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"She goes through the house screeching with joy and happiness," Navon said.
Video she captured of a recent visit shows Julie spinning and howling as she realizes "Uncle Wayne" has come to see her.
"I've never seen anything like it," Navon said. "She doesn't even do that for me."
What's next:
After eight years helping Julie overcome past trauma, Navon says she's determined to help with three-thousand other would-be Julies still kept in cages there. She launched the Better Science Campaign to spread the word about alternatives to animal testing, such as organ-as-a-chip technology that uses microchips to mimic human organs for research.
In the meantime, she's focused on giving Julie a quite, happy home.
"She’s leading a pretty good life. You know, her needs are being met. And I wish that for all the dogs from Ridglan."
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Questions from FOX6 viewers
Fielding questions about Ridglan Farms
FOX6 Investigator Bryan Polcyn fielded viewer questions about Ridglan Farms -- and beagle puppies that had been used for scientific experiments.