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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – I rarely side with animal rights groups. They’re too extreme.
And they were true to form in their protests last month a Ridglan Farms in Dane County. No, you cannot ram your pick-up truck through the front gate. No, you cannot try to force your way inside the facility and free as many dogs as possible. Some of those dogs may be part of experiments that cannot roam free in the wild. It could be dangerous.
But I find animal testing cruel. I’m a dog lover. And the idea of 1,500 beagles being killed in the name of research saddens me. The animal rights groups argue that in this new age of AI, there might be another way to test pharmaceuticals and cosmetics without harming dogs. My big heart for animals makes me want to hear their case.
I’m glad the Ridglan Farms is getting out of the dog breeding and animal testing business. They were scheduled to surrender their license in July. A negotiated settlement with the protesters brings that to an even earlier end.
The dogs have been sold to two rescue groups. Some will be taken to a dog sanctuary in Florida. Others have already departed for the northeast, where they were be nursed back to health and put up for adoption.
Both of my dogs, big, floppy and imperfect, are wonderful companions. While I freely admit that humans are a higher form of life, and animal testing and research has benefits for humans. But I can’t image of and dogs from Argos’ or Emerald’s litters being used as test subjects. That no one would receive the love that they have to offer seems sad and wasteful.
1,500 beagles will soon go to their forever homes. I find that to be a happy ending.
Chris Conley
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