The following is a statement from the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) and a quote from Christopher Berry, NhRP Chief Strategy Officer and lead attorney on the Ridglan Farms case, regarding the resolution of the case following the release of all remaining dogs from the facility:
The Nonhuman Rights Project is pleased that all of the dogs formerly confined at Ridglan Farms have now been surrendered and removed from the facility and that Ridglan has agreed to permanently end its exploitation of dogs for breeding, sales, and biomedical research.
On September 9, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals dismissed our appeal as moot following the release of the remaining dogs. When the Nonhuman Rights Project first went to court on behalf of the Ridglan dogs, we sought their freedom from conditions that violated Wisconsin’s animal cruelty laws. With the last dogs now out of Ridglan and the facility’s operations ending, the relief we sought for these dogs is no longer necessary.
We are deeply grateful to the advocates, rescue organizations, attorneys, and others whose work helped bring the Ridglan dogs to safety. Their release is an outcome worth celebrating. At the same time, the circumstances surrounding their rescue underscore the fundamental problem at the heart of our case: animal cruelty laws mean little if courts refuse to protect unlawfully abused animals.
“We are incredibly happy to see the Ridglan dogs go to loving homes, but it should never have required extraordinary public pressure and a private deal to secure their freedom,” says Christopher Berry, Chief Strategy Officer of the Nonhuman Rights Project and lead NhRP attorney on the case. “Animals have a legal right to be free from cruelty under Wisconsin law, and that right should have been protected by the courts. The Nonhuman Rights Project will continue fighting for a justice system that actually protects animals by recognizing their legal rights.”
We are especially grateful to the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project and Wisconsin attorney Kristin Schrank for partnering with us to bring and pursue this case on behalf of the Ridglan dogs.