![](\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/img-assets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26132713632267.jpg?w=2048\")
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Pop star Debbie Gibson and Terry \u201cGeezer\u201d Butler, co-founder of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, are singing the same tune when it comes to sparing dogs from medical experiments.<\/p>\n
The unlikely pair came together Tuesday not for a most unusual duet, but instead to praise\u00a0ongoing efforts\u00a0to find new homes for roughly 1,500\u00a0beagles purchased\u00a0from dog breeder and research facility Ridglan Farms outside of Madison.<\/p>\n
Forget Black Sabbath\u2019s anti-war anthem \u201cWar Pigs.\u201d This day was all about the dogs \u2014 more specifically, the beagles.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so profound to be able to hold each of these dogs in our arms and be able to assure them that their new life was starting,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cToday was a very emotional day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gibson and Butler pet the beagles taken from research facility<\/p>\n
Both Gibson and Butler held beagles from Ridglan Farms that had been transported from the facility to the humane society on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve never let me down,\u201d Butler said of his pet dogs at the Dane County Humane Society, which is working to find new homes for 500 beagles. \u201cThey\u2019re always loving.\u201d<\/p>\n
As they and others spoke in the humane society\u2019s barn, beagles from Ridglan Farms sat in the arms of volunteers as they waited to be seen by veterinarians for a health check, vaccinations and other care.<\/p>\n
Beagles bought following violent clash with police<\/p>\n
The Washington, D.C.-based Center for a Humane Economy and Florida\u2019s Big Dog Ranch Rescue, which both oppose using animals in research, struck the deal last month to buy the dogs for an undisclosed amount from Ridglan Farms.<\/p>\n
The deal was announced just days after a\u00a0violent clash\u00a0between animal welfare advocates and police outside of the Ridglan Farms facility. Police used tear gas and pepper spray to turn back activists who said they were there to take the dogs. Protesters also broke into the facility in March and took 30 dogs.<\/p>\n
Numerous groups are working to transfer the 1,500 dogs bought from Ridglan to facilities where they will get veterinary care and be prepared for transport to shelters around the country, where they will eventually be put up for adoption.<\/p>\n
Demand is high to adopt the beagles<\/p>\n
More than 1,300 people have expressed interest to the Dane County Humane Society alone in adopting the dogs, said Amy Good, the society\u2019s director of marketing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a tough sell to get beagles into homes,\u201d said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy. \u201cThe response across the nation has been overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first 1,000 dogs were removed earlier this month and are in temporary shelters with agencies partnering with Big Dog Ranch Rescue. The Dane County Humane Society began receiving the remaining 500 dogs this week.<\/p>\n
Ridglan Farms agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on felony animal mistreatment charges. The firm has denied mistreating animals, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.<\/p>\n
Butler, who said he has five dogs and five cats at home, called it a historic day for the end of experimenting on animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just the beginning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gibson, who released her debut album at age 16 in 1987, said she planned on fostering and possibly adopting one of the beagles she met on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis little guy was the last one put in my arms, and I couldn\u2019t put him back in a cage,\u201d she said, holding the beagle as she spoke.<\/p>\n
Asked whether they will ever work together on a song about dogs, Butler and Gibson chuckled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe,\u201d Butler said with a smile and a beagle still on his lap.<\/p>\n
#Debbie #Gibson #Geezer #Butler #Black #Sabbath #adopt #beagle #rescued #experimental #lab #Wisconsin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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