Actor Kristin Bauer van Straten Urges Wisconsin Governor to Save 2,000 Beagles Trapped at

For Immediate Release:
April 22, 2026

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

Today, True Blood and Once Upon a Time actor and Wisconsin native Kristin Bauer van Straten sent an urgent letter to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers pleading with him to step in and facilitate the release of nearly 2,000 dogs trapped at the notorious Ridglan Farms—which breeds and sells dogs to laboratories for experimentation—by asking the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to revoke its state breeding license immediately rather than in July.

Ridglan is being forced to surrender its license on July 1 to avoid criminal charges of cruelty to animals, but in the meantime, the dogs remaining at the facility may still be sold for painful and frightening experiments and ultimately killed.

“It is heartbreaking to know that dogs in our home state are being confined in industrial breeding conditions and sold for experiments instead of being given the chance to live safe and happy lives,” writes van Straten. “Revoking Ridglan’s license immediately would stop the pipeline of dogs from this facility to laboratories and spare them immeasurable suffering.”

Ridglan has racked up a slew of state and federal animal welfare law violations over the years. A former Ridglan employee testified that staff cut off dogs’ swollen eyelid glands with scissors, without pain relief or a veterinary license, and multiple authorities confirmed that Ridglan repeatedly performed invasive surgeries on dogs without pain relief. Witnesses described dogs crying out, thrashing, and bleeding before being returned to cages without treatment. Last fall, the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection cited the breeder for more than 300 violations involving mistreatment or neglect of the dogs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has already cited the facility twice this year for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

Van Straten’s letter to Evers follows.

April 22, 2026

The Honorable Tony Evers

Governor of Wisconsin

115 East Capitol

Madison, WI 53702

Dear Governor Evers,

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing as a Wisconsin native and lifelong dog lover to respectfully urge you to call on the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to immediately revoke Ridglan Farms’ commercial dog-breeding license.

Ridglan has agreed to surrender its license by July 1, 2026, to avoid criminal cruelty charges—but allowing the facility to continue operating until then means that nearly 2,000 dogs may still be sold to laboratories, where they will face painful experimentation and ultimately be killed. Wisconsin has an opportunity right now to prevent that outcome. Revoking Ridglan’s license immediately would stop the pipeline of dogs from this facility to laboratories and spare them immeasurable suffering.

I grew up in Wisconsin surrounded by its natural beauty and by animals who were treated as companions and family members. It is heartbreaking to know that dogs in our home state are being confined in industrial breeding conditions and sold for experiments instead of being given the chance to live safe and happy lives. A nation of dog lovers cannot accept what has been documented inside Ridglan, and I believe Wisconsin should lead with compassion and integrity.

I was encouraged to see the Dane County Board of Supervisors vote to support revoking Ridglan’s license and to learn that Representative Marc Pocan publicly admonished the facility for its treatment of animals. These actions reflect what so many Wisconsinites already know: our state should not be associated with a business whose primary purpose has been supplying dogs for experimentation.

By urging DATCP to revoke Ridglan’s license now, you would help protect thousands of dogs and affirm Wisconsin’s longstanding values of responsibility, kindness, and respect for animals. I sincerely hope you will take this step.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this important issue.

Kind regards,

Kristin Bauer van Straten