Two animal rescuers are now facing decades behind bars for removing beagles from cruel conditions at Ridglan Farms.
On March 15, 2026, activists led by attorney and animal rights advocate Wayne Hsiung conducted an “open rescue” at Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin — a large commercial breeding facility that supplied beagles for laboratory testing. The group removed about 30 beagles from cages while documenting the conditions.
Now, Hsiung and fellow activist Dean Guzman Wyrzykowski are facing felony charges including burglary, theft, attempted theft, and criminal damage to property.
Both Wayne Hsiung and Dean Guzman Wyrzykowski now face up to 31 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
In their own words from recent social media posts:
“In about one hour, I will be arraigned on 4 felony counts and face up to 31 years in prison for taking this little guy out of a Ridglan cage.” — Wayne Hsiung
“I’m now facing 31 years in prison — even more than before! … All because I volunteered to save beagles from criminal abuse at Ridglan Farms.” — Dean Guzman Wyrzykowski
Ridglan Farms has faced years of documented animal welfare allegations and inspection findings. These include reports of “cherry eye” surgeries performed on dogs without anesthesia or pain relief by non-veterinarians, dogs housed in tiny wire cages with severe ammonia odors noted by inspectors, untreated injuries from rusted cage wires, poor sanitation linked to parasites such as giardia, and signs of psychological distress such as frantic circling from lack of enrichment and socialization.
Despite these allegations and inspection findings, the operators of Ridglan Farms and those accused of conducting the procedures have not faced criminal penalties. Their most significant consequence so far has been an agreement to surrender the facility’s Wisconsin state breeding license by July 1, 2026, effectively ending large-scale sales of beagles to outside laboratories.
The company continues to operate its in-house research activities under federal licensing and has denied allegations of animal abuse while profiting for decades from breeding and selling dogs for research.
According to activists and public reporting, rescue groups later had to purchase beagles from Ridglan Farms in order to take custody of them — meaning the company continued receiving money for beagles even as the people attempting to remove dogs from abusive conditions now face decades in prison.
If you believe these activists should not face decades behind bars for rescuing animals, consider contacting Wisconsin prosecutors and local officials to respectfully demand that the felony charges be dropped.
Contact Information:
Dane County District Attorney Ismael R. Ozanne
Phone: (608) 266-4211
Contact: https://da.danecounty.gov/About/Contact
Dane County Executive Melissa Agard
Phone: (608) 266-4114
Email: [email protected]
Bluesky: http://melissaagard.bsky.social
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers
Phone: (608) 266-1212
Email: https://wi.accessgov.com/public/Forms/Page/governor/voice-an-opinion
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul
Phone: (608) 266-1221
Contact: https://wi.accessgov.com/doj-wi/Forms/Page/doj-wi/contact-doj
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP)
Phone: (608) 224-5012
Consumer Hotline: (800) 422-7128
Email: [email protected]
https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Publications/ConsumerHotlines.aspx#:~:text=Contact%20the%20Consumer%20Protection%20Hotline,%3A%20DATCPHotline%40wisconsin.gov
These officials can be reached publicly on social media.
Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne — Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaneDAOzanne/
Dane County Executive Melissa Agard — Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/melissaagard.bsky.social
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers — X: @GovEvers
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul — X: @WisDOJ
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) — X
@widatcp
You can also contact local media outlets and share this story publicly. Public attention may be one of the few things capable of influencing how this case proceeds.
Please comment below if any contact information is incorrect or if there are other officials people should contact about this case.