Leading animal welfare groups ask lawmakers to restore original design of the legislation and to help dogs get out of labs after they’ve been used in tests
MADISON, Wis. — Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy, Dane4Dogs, and allied organizations are calling on members of the Wisconsin Legislature to reject or remove the harmful Senate Amendment 1 recently attached to AB436/SB414, the Wisconsin Beagle Freedom Bill. The amendment turns the bill’s purpose on its head — serving the animal-testing lobby and no longer providing a practical plan to allow beagles already used in tests to come out of the lab alive and move toward adoption into loving homes.
In a letter to some key state lawmakers, the coalition urged them to ensure that dogs, cats, and other animals used in testing are given a chance at adoption. “These changes gut the heart of the Beagle Freedom Bill,” said Paul Collins, Wisconsin state director for Animal Wellness Action. “Instead of protecting animals and ensuring transparency, this amendment creates a ‘fox-in-the-hen house’ situation — allowing research institutions to police themselves. It’s like passing a highway safety law that lets reckless drivers decide their own penalties. Wisconsinites deserve better.”
Originally introduced with broad bipartisan support and modeled after successful Beagle Freedom laws in 16 other states, including Illinois, Minnesota, and California, AB436/SB414 would have required research facilities to make reasonable efforts to release animals no longer needed for testing to humane societies for adoption. The legislation, spearheaded by Dane4Dogs, received broad bipartisan support, with 20 percent of the legislature cosponsoring the bill prior to recent amendment.
The amendment, introduced without consultation or public input, undermines the intent of the bill by handing control over adoptions entirely to the animal research institutions. It allows them to decide whether animals used in experiments are ever made available for adoption, shields their records from public oversight by exempting them from open-records laws, and eliminates penalties for failing to maintain or produce adoption records.
The need for this humane legislation is underscored by recent events in Wisconsin. Ridglan Farms, one of the nation’s largest suppliers of beagles for experimentation, recently agreed to relinquish its state license following years of documented animal cruelty. Advocates argue that Wisconsin should be strengthening — not weakening — protections for animals in research as the nation shifts away from animal testing altogether.
“After what we’ve seen at Ridglan Farms, it’s outrageous that lawmakers would undermine a bill meant to help those very dogs,” said Rebekah Robinson, president of Dane4Dogs. “Wisconsin citizens have made it clear they want transparency and compassion — not cover-ups and loopholes that protect cruelty.”
“This amendment completely undermines the intent of the Beagle Freedom Bill,” said Maggie Premo, president of Dane County Humane Society Board of Directors. “It was supposed to ensure that dogs and other animals used in research would finally have a pathway to adoption. Instead, it gives the research facilities full control to decide which animals get that chance — and which never will. That’s not reform; it’s surrender.”
“Should the worthy original bill be encumbered with the proposed contradictory amendments, the result will likely be that none of the test subject dogs or cats will ever be free to enjoy ‘life after the lab.’ These animals deserve to feel sunshine instead of lab lights, grass and soft beds instead of wire cages, and the touch of compassionate hands in the home they deserve,” said Eilene Ribbens, executive director for the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project.
“Historically, this is a consistent pattern among a few Wisconsin legislators who appear to be gatekeepers for corporations and individuals who exploit animals for profit,” said Melanie Weberg, director, League of Humane Voters–Wisconsin.
The coalition letter also notes that federal agencies are already moving away from animal testing. The U.S. FDA, NIH, and EPA have announced plans to replace animal experiments with human-relevant methods. The FDA’s 2025 Roadmap envisions animal testing as “the exception rather than the norm,” while the NIH has pledged to prioritize non-animal science. As the nation shifts toward modern, humane research, it is inconsistent and indefensible to deny animals who have already suffered the chance to live out their remaining years in peace.
The Wisconsin Federated Humane Societies added, “The Wisconsin humane community is united in its support of the original Beagle Freedom Bill. We are ready, willing, and able to help test subject animals move from laboratory life to caring homes. They have given so much, endured so much — we must stand united in our advocacy for them.”
“Dogs have stood beside us for centuries as loyal companions. To allow their suffering in labs is a betrayal of that bond and of our own humanity. Passing this bill as amended affirms that cruelty, not compassion, defines how we view these animals, and the state of Wisconsin should work quickly to rectify this,” said Mindi Callison, founder and executive director of Bailing Out Benji.
Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy, Dane4Dogs, Dane County Humane Society, League of Humane Voters–Wisconsin, Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, the Wisconsin Federated Humane Societies, and Bailing Out Benji are urging legislators to restore the original, unamended Beagle Freedom Bill and ensure Wisconsin stands for transparency, accountability, and humane treatment of animals used in research.