DATCP Humane Officers are able to investigate violations, issue warrants, and request law enforcement enforce the laws. Gov Tony Evers told us to contact the Humane Officers, so let’s do it! Call or email the Dane County Humane Officers listed below and politely tell them that a Dane County Judge has determined that there is probable cause of animal cruelty happening at Ridglan Farms. Ask them to use their power to assist with the investigation and pursue charges against Ridglan.

Lodge a complaint against Ridglan.

Business Name: Ridglan Farms

Address: 10489 W Blue Mounds Rd, Blue Mounds, WI 53517

Complain Description (sample - please personalized!):

On January 9, Judge Rhonda Lanford found probable cause of felony animal cruelty happening at Ridglan Farms, as well as multiple misdemeanors. This included mutilating dogs eyes and vocal chords, holding them in small cages causing severe mental distress, untreated injuries, unsanitary conditions, and more - much of which DATCP has also been documenting for years. Judge Lanford will be appointing a Special Prosecutor to investigate, and we need DATCP to please take immediate action to help the dogs that are suffering there. Please assist with the investigation, request a warrant, revoke their license, and get the dogs out now! Thank you.

Call Governor Evers at 608-266-1212 and ask him to direct the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection aka DATCP (pronounced DAT-CAP) to revoke Ridglan Farms’ license to breed and sell dogs. Here is a script:

Hi, my name is _____ and I’m calling to ask Governor Evers to direct DATCP to revoke Ridglan Farms’ license to breed and sell dogs. A Dane County judge found probable cause for felony animal cruelty after two former employees testified under oath that they were directed to hold dogs down while another employee cut off their inflamed eyelids with no pain relief, blood control, or anesthesia. DATCP and the USDA have repeatedly found horrific conditions at Ridglan Farms during their inspections, and it’s beyond time for that research puppy mill to lose their license immediately. Thank you.

Put Ridglan Farms on blast and let the world know that a judge found probable cause for animal cruelty - speak from the heart and you can’t go wrong.

Wisconsin State Journal

• Send to: https://madison.com/forms/online_services/letter/

• 200 words or less

• Deadline: They publish letters every day, so there is no weekly deadline for submissions. They do, however, often edit letters several days in advance, so if they choose to publish a letter you submit, it may not appear for several days or even more than a week.

• Publication: daily

Isthmus

• Send to: edit@isthmus.com

• 200 words or less

• Deadline: There is not a hard and fast rule since sometimes there is a backup of letters, but submit by the Friday before publication for your best shot.

• Publication: Thurs

Cap Times

• Send to: https://madison.com/forms/online_services/letter-ct/

• 250 words or less

• Publication: Wed

Mount Horeb Mail

• Go to https://www.mounthorebmail.com/contact and select the Category of Letters to the Editor

Home News (Spring Green)

• Send to: homenewseditor@newspubinc.com

• no word limit

• Deadline: Monday at noon

• Publication: Wed

Verona Press

• Send to: https://www.veronapress.com/site/forms/online_services/letter_editor/

• 400 word limit

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP, pronounced DAT-CAP) inspects and licenses Ridglan Farms to sell puppies. We want them to revoke Ridglan’s license.

Randy Romanski is the Secretary of DATCP and is responsible for overseeing the entire organization.

Call Randy Romanski: (608) 224-5015

Email Randy via his Executive Assistant: kylie.nelson@wisconsin.gov​

Sample script:

Hi, my name is ______ and I’m calling to urge Secretary Romanski to immediately revoke Ridglan Farms’ license to sell dogs. Ridglan Farms is a massive research puppy mill in Blue Mounds Wisconsin. DATCP inspectors have found numerous violations there, and USDA inspectors have also documented violations. Most recently, two former employees of Ridglan Farms testified under oath that they were routinely forced to hold down dogs while another unqualified employee cut off part of the dogs’ inflamed eyelid with no anesthesia, blood control, or pain relief. These two employees worked at Ridglan Farms over 10 years apart, they had never met, and yet they both gave virtually identical testimony under oath. DATCP’s own inspectors have also reported that the ammonia odor level in several buildings was bad enough that the inspector experienced nausea, and his throat and nostrils were irritated for several hours after he left the facility. Inspectors also noted that approximately 30% of the enclosures with walls constructed of coated wire had some degree of rust or the wire coating was worn off. As a result of this testimony and evidence, a judge found probable cause of animal cruelty and I’m calling to urge DATCP to revoke Ridglan Farms’ license immediately. Thank you.

Contact Wisconsin Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson and ask them to use the powers of the federal government to shut down Ridglan Farms like they shut down Envigo in 2022.

Senator Tammy Baldwin: 202-224-5653

Senator Ron Johnson: 202-224-5323

Here is a script:

Hi, my name is _____ and I’m calling to ask Senator Baldwin/Johnson to bring in the Justice Department to investigate and shut down Ridglan Farms, a research puppy mill in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin where a judge just found probable cause for animal cruelty based on the testimony of two former employees. Dogs at Ridglan Farms are routinely forcibly held down while their inflamed eyelids are cut off without any anesthesia, blood control, pain relief, or after care. The USDA and Wisconsin inspectors have all found horrific conditions there, and now a judge agrees that there is probable cause for animal cruelty and has appointed a special prosecutor to investigate. We need your help to support this prosecution and raise awareness to the Justice Department so they can get involved. A similar facility called Envigo was shut down in Virginia two years ago, and it’s time for Wisconsin to follow suit. Please help.

The US Department of Justice led the investigation and prosecution of Envigo in 2022, and we need their help here in Wisconsin too! Call and ask to speak with Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources division.

Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim: (202) 514-2701

Here is a script:

Hi, my name is ______ and I’m callling to ask Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim to investigate and prosecute Ridglan Farms. Ridglan Farms is a facility in Wisconsin that is very similar to Envigo, the research dog breeder that the Justice Department shut down in 2022. USDA and Wisconsin inspectors have found horrific violations there, and recently, two former employees testified under oath to routinely mutilating dogs by forcibly holding them down while another employee cut off the dogs’ inflamed eyelid without any anesthesia, blood control, or pain relief. That’s just one example of the horrific cruelty that is routine at this facility, where the dogs are kept in small cages with wire flooring 24/7, never seeing sunlight or touching solid flooring. Federal and state inspectors have found puppies legs falling through the wire flooring, rendering them immobile and unable to access food and water. This is absolutely unacceptable and we need the Justice Department to intervene. Thank you.

Not sure what to post? Post a copy of your LTE along with a photo and #RidglanHarms! Or, here are some ideas:

• Ridglan Farms is finally under investigation for animal cruelty after a judge hears powerful testimony from former employees and expert witnesses! #RidglanHarms

• A Dane County Judge has appointed a Special Prosecutor to investigate Ridglan Farms for mutilating hundreds of beagles #RidglanHarms

• End dog experimentation now! Envigo was shut down in 2022 and Ridglan Farms is next! Ridglan is finally under investigation for animal cruelty #RidglanHarms

Looking for photos to use? Here are the photos from DATCP Inspections in 2024.

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Mark Pocan is a federal Representative representing Wisconsin’s 2nd District that includes Ridglan Farms. He is a member of the Animal Caucus and a strong animal supporter but he’s been noticeably silent on this issue.

Representative Mark Pocan: (608) 258-9800

His last name is pronounced Poe-CAN.

Sample script:

Hi, my name is _____ and I’m calling to ask Representative Pocan to bring the issue of Ridglan Farms to the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus. Ridglan Farms is a research puppy mill in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, that breeds thousands of beagles each year in horrific conditions and sells them or experiments on them. Recently, two former employees testified under oath that they were routinely forced to hold down dogs while another unqualified employee cut off part of the dogs’ inflamed eyelid with no anesthesia, blood control, or pain relief. These two employees worked at Ridglan Farms over 10 years apart, they had never met, and yet they both gave virtually identical testimony under oath. We need the Animal Protection Caucus to raise this to a national issue, get the Justice Department involved, and help Wisconsin residents fight this cruelty. Thank you.