This Is the (New) Plan to Save the Ridglan Dogs

(Edited: The date April 12 has been change to April 19.)

Folks, I need you to join me in Dane County, Wisconsin on Sunday, April 19 for what may be the most important rescue in animal rights history. We need 2,000 people to take action at Ridglan Farms on April 19—one person for every puppy still trapped in a cage—to create unstoppable momentum and free every dog tortured in a lab.

The first rescue on March 15 showed the power of open rescue. Millions of people were inspired when 100 people walked into Ridglan Farms, carrying white flowers and displaying peace signs, and walked out with desperate beagles in our arms. We got shout outs from celebrities and influencers, ranging from Superman director James Gunn to sports magnate Dave Portnoy. Grassroots supporters like you donated nearly $100,000 for this all-volunteer operation in a few days. And most importantly, we got 22 beautiful puppies out of hell. (Heartbreakingly, eight others—the #Ridglan8—were illegally seized by the police and dragged back into a vivisector’s cage.)

Now, to save the remaining 2,000 beagles, including the puppies illegally seized by the police, we need to go 20x. There are only around 400 deputies in Dane County (including those serving in jails and not on patrol) and 800 spaces for inmates in Dane County jails. If we can mobilize 2,000 rescuers, they can’t arrest and jail us all. We’ll carry every last one of the dogs out of Ridglan into loving homes.

In the last five days, nearly 30,000 people have signed up to take action to the next level. These dogs need 2,000 of you to commit to be there on April 19. Can you join us?

Sign up here to join the rescue effort!

The plan to mobilize 2,000 rescuers comes in five stages.

In stage 1, we recruit. We’ll make viral social media clips. We’ll go to schools and universities, churches and temples. We’ll ask celebrities and influencers to boost our story. We’ll put up an online thermometer of people committed to joining the rescue effort on the site savethedogs.io—and aim to have 2,000 people committed by April 12.

In stage 2, we connect and train. We’ll make 200 teams of 10 people, each of which will be led by one of the original Ridglan rescuers (or another experienced rescuer). We’ll practice empathy and nonviolence over Zoom calls. We’ll do virtual walkthroughs of what will unfold on April 19 with drone footage from the first rescue—and give you a chance to ask questions about how it all works. And we’ll empower you with the legal theory behind the right to rescue, crafted by elite legal scholars and lawyers.

In stage 3, we get ready for action. We’ll work with our 10-person teams to support one another in travel, housing, and other preparations for the action. The 2,000 rescuers will arrive in Madison beginning on Friday, April 17 and immediately join an evening briefing led by renowned animal rights lawyer Wayne Hsiung, who will set out the specific plan for action. We’ll meet all of our team members in person, practice with the key tools and equipment, and finalize the roles each of us will take in the rescue.

In stage 4, we rescue. On April 19, the 2,000 rescuers will descend on Ridglan Farms from all directions and use every nonviolent means to breach the facility walls and rescue the dogs. If the police illegally attempt to stop us, we will shield one another from their attempts to hurt the dogs, and pressure them to enforce the law and protect the dogs. Nothing will stop us from getting all 2,000 beagles out of cages into sunlight for the first time. (Indeed, our sheer commitment may be enough to compel the government to act in the weeks before April 19.)

Finally, in stage 5, we seize the momentum and build 20x again. After we rescue the beagles from Ridglan, we will ratchet up the pressure even further. We will not stop until the US Department of Health and Human Services follows through on its commitment to end all cruel research on dogs. Above all, we’ll hold a vision in our hearts—a world where every animal is freed from abuse—and we will bring that vision to life.

We’ll start with dogs at Ridglan. Then we’ll save them all.

A happy pup rescued from Ridglan last week, playing with a ball for the first time.