In 2026, more than 2,100 beagles were finally freed from Ridglan Farms, a Wisconsin facility that had bred dogs for animal experimentation for nearly six decades. The facility surrendered its breeding license and closed for good after years of investigations, legal challenges, and relentless pressure from animal advocates.
The closure was an incredible victory for dogs and proof that facilities built around breeding animals for experimentation are not untouchable. But unfortunately, Ridglan was far from the only place profiting from this cruel industry.
In Species Unite’s home state of New York, Marshall BioResources operates one of the largest breeding facilities for animals used in experimentation in the country.
At its sprawling facility in North Rose, Marshall breeds beagles, cats, ferrets, pigs, and other animals to be sold to laboratories across the United States and around the world. According to an investigation by Rise for Animals, approximately 23,000 dogs may be housed in Marshall's sheds at any given time.
These innocent animals are born into a system that views them not as living, feeling beings, but as products to be bred, sold, experimented on, and discarded. Animals bred at Marshall are sold to laboratories where they are used in torturous toxicology and other invasive experiments, including tests that force animals to inhale or ingest chemicals such as pesticides and experiments involving severing dogs' spinal roots, cutting off their tails, and implanting electrodes into their bladders.
Tragically for these animals, suffering starts before they even reach a laboratory.
Since 2007, USDA officials have cited Marshall for more than 20 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including allegations of improper veterinary care and squalid living conditions in which dogs were left standing in their own waste inside wire cages.
Beagles are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by the animal testing industry precisely because of the qualities that make them such beloved companions. Their small size and gentle, trusting nature make them easy to handle, even after enduring immense suffering at human hands. Dogs bred for experimentation can spend their lives confined inside facilities and laboratories, deprived of the freedom, affection, play, and companionship that every dog deserves.
All of this is happening at a time when science itself is increasingly moving away from animal experimentation. Federal agencies including the FDA and NIH are advancing human-relevant research methods and working to reduce reliance on animals through technologies including organoids, cell-based systems, and computational models.
As science moves toward a future that no longer relies on animal suffering, there is no justification for allowing facilities like Marshall BioResources to continue breeding thousands of dogs and other animals for lives of cruel experimentation.
The Ridglan Farms case showed what sustained advocacy can accomplish. Thousands of beagles once destined for laboratories were instead given the chance to feel grass beneath their paws, experience kindness, and discover lives beyond the cages where they were born. Now, we need to fight for the animals at Marshall.
Take Action Now
Please join Species Unite in calling on New York State lawmakers to investigate Marshall BioResources and take every action available to end the breeding and sale of animals for experimentation at its North Rose facility.
We are also calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to use its full enforcement authority to protect the animals at Marshall and hold the facility accountable for violations of federal animal welfare protections.
No dog should be born simply to suffer and die in a laboratory. It is time to end the horrific cycle of breeding animals for experimentation and give the thousands of animals at Marshall the protection they deserve.
