Behind the headlines of Ridgland Farm with Shannon Keith of Beagle Freedom Project

We got the story behind the headlines about 1,500 beagles saved from this breeding site for dogs used in animal testing. The founder of BFP also talks about why beagles are like newborns. ---- Never before have pictures of riot police tear-gassing animal rights campaigners in broad daylight made the news. The scenes in May at Ridgland Farm, where beagles were bred for the animal testing industry, made the news across the US. Direct rescuers stormed the kennels, where dogs were kept in barren metal cages, and ran out with as many dogs as they could. Only a few dogs were freed as police wrestled them off the activists are returned them to their cages. In the meantime, behind the scenes, another group of activists tried to free the Ridgland beagles the quiet way. The operator had agreed a plea deal with a special prosecutor in Wisconsin to cease trading and avoid prosecution despite hundreds of USDA violations for animal welfare offences. But it wasn’t clear what would happen to the dogs once Ridgland Farm would cease trading. “They also sell them for parts,” explains Shannon Keith on our podcast. Shannon is the founder and president of Beagle Freedom Project, and she is our guest in episode 7 of the Wunderdog Podcast. “We were the rescue partners for the Center for a Humane Economy. They were negotiating with Ridgland’s attorneys to see what could be done to get these beagles released. And ultimately the negotiations worked, and we were able to get 1,500 Beagles released from Ridgland, which is epic.” Since the initial agreement, more than a 100 further beagles have been released. This isn’t Shannon’s first rodeo. When the Californian was still in college, she found out that animals are treated as ‘chattel’ – or property – under US law. She decided to become an animal rights lawyer, an area of the law that is still in its infancy and practically didn’t exist when she graduated from Pepperdine School of Law in Malibu, California, in 1998. “I was one of the first to be an animal rights attorney. Now there are lots of people in this field, which is great, and I used to teach that in law school too.” In Wisconsin, Beagle Freedom Project works with the Dane County Humane Society where the freed dogs get triaged, before they are transported either to its numerous partners across the US or directly to fosters and adopters. (You can see videos of the ongoing release drives on BFP’s YouTube channel.) And then, there is also Shannon’s pride and joy: Freedom Fields. “I kept writing letters every year to animal testing facilities across the US, asking if we could rehome the dogs and cats they were no longer using,” she tells us. Eventually, the owner of one farm responded and allowed Shannon’s team to rehome some of the animals he used to test flea and tick treatments. They struck up a relationship, and one day, Shannon asked him if he would sell his farm to her and close his business. After some negotiations, he did just that, and Shannon turned the animal testing site into Freedom Fields. Shannon has chalked up a number of victories. We have written about the charity three times in Wunderdog Magazine, as a main feature (issue 7), a story about its (short-lived) foray into the UK (issue 8), and about Freedom Fields (issue 9). I am proud to bring Shannon’s story to you as a podcast, where we discuss everything from Ridgland Farm to Freedom Fields, the legislative wrangling that goes on behind the scenes, and how the beagles are doing once they are in family homes. We also talk about the importance of giving these dogs names, and why Shannon considers them newborns in adult bodies. If you are wondering how you can help to end animal testing, one simple step is to boycott products that have been tested. Beagle Freedom Project developed the Cruelty Cutter app: simply scan a product and check whether it was tested on animals. If it has been, it takes one click on the app to notify the manufacturer that you’re boycotting their product, and you can also share your decision on social media. The app is free and works worldwide. To find out more, head to bfp.org Time stamps: Introduction and background 0:01 - Beagle Freedom Project and negotiations for beagle release 0:29 - Episode introduction by Nina May Rescue efforts and challenges 2:30 - Shannon Keith introduces Beagle Freedom Project 4:44 - Discussion on Ridgland Farms and legal challenges Freedom Fields and adoption stories 12:29 - Status of rescued beagles and adoption efforts 17:23 - Story of Freedom Fields and its transformation Industry overview and future goals 28:48 - Overview of animal testing industry and Beagle Freedom Project's mission 39:29 - Discussion on financial and legal challenges in activism Closing Remarks 45:46 - Shannon Keith's final thoughts and Cruelty Cutter app 46:54 - Episode closing