The Barbaric Industry of Laboratory Dog Testing
Three animal rights activists will be tried this month for rescuing beagles from a life of torment
In a beautiful, cabin-like house in the Berkeley hills, a beagle named Julie won’t stop barking. She’s running around in small circles, exhibiting the pathological behavior of an animal accustomed to confinement.
Seven years ago, Julie lived in a tiny wire cage, stacked on top of more tiny wire cages, in an indoor breeding facility in Wisconsin. The company that ran the operation, Ridglan Farms, sold the beagles to laboratories, where they were subjected to sometimes torturous experiments. Then, one night in the spring of 2017, three animal rights activists with a Berkeley-based organization called Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) snuck into the breeding facility to document the deplorable conditions inside. They freed Julie, along with two other dogs.
On March 18, the activists will go to trial for charges brought by the Dane County District Attorney.