For years, he was not known as James.
He was YPP5.
That was the code tattooed inside his ear, the identifier that marked him as a laboratory research dog. Not a beloved pet. Not a family member. Not a dog with a name whispered softly by someone who loved him.
Just a code.
That changed on March 15, 2026, when animal activist Wayne Hsiung removed the frightened beagle from Ridglan Farms, a breeding facility in Dane County, Wisconsin.
According to Hsiung, he reached through a broken window that evening and pulled the dog from one of the cages. The beagle was scared, but the detail that hit hardest came when Hsiung saw the tattoo inside his ear.
YPP5.
A serial code where a name should have been.
Hsiung fought back tears, handed the dog to a teammate, and went back to rescue more.
Police arrived soon after the break-in. Hsiung was arrested, and authorities used tear gas and pepper spray as activists attempted to remove dogs from the facility. Protesters took 30 dogs that night.
Now, Hsiung and three co-defendants face felony burglary charges. Prosecutors are seeking punishment that could reach up to 12 years in prison. Hsiung’s previous California felony conviction from a separate animal rescue case was recently reversed by a Court of Appeals.
But the beagle once known as YPP5 is no longer a number.
He is James.
And this week, James went home to live with the person who rescued him and that rescuer’s family.
His story has become part of the larger “Right to Rescue” movement, which argues that saving suffering animals from laboratories, factory farms, breeding operations, and other harmful conditions should be treated as a moral act rather than a crime.
The movement, led largely by Direct Action Everywhere, centers on a belief that animals are sentient beings, not property without pain, fear, or memory.
For James, that belief is no longer theoretical.
It is the difference between a cage and a home.
It is the difference between being called YPP5 and being called by a name.
The case comes amid broader action involving Ridglan Farms. Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy had reportedly been negotiating a confidential agreement to purchase 1,500 dogs from the facility for an undisclosed amount.
Those beagles have since been released, and rescuers say many of them began seeking affection soon after arriving in care. Some approached people for attention. Some crawled into laps. Staff and volunteers described them as sweet, gentle dogs who seemed to understand they were finally safe.
A staging area in Wisconsin has been set up to vaccinate, microchip, spay, and neuter the dogs before they move toward adoption or placement. Hundreds of adoption applications have already come in, though many dogs may need time before they are ready for homes.
Ridglan Farms had previously agreed to forfeit its breeding license as of July 1, 2026, reportedly to avoid prosecution and felony animal cruelty charges. A special report stated that the facility had performed eye experiments that violated state veterinary standards of humane care.
James cannot explain what he saw inside those walls.
He cannot tell anyone what it felt like to live with a code instead of a name.
But now, his life has changed.
He has a family.
He has safety.
He has someone who looks at him and sees a dog, not a research subject.
James was once YPP5, a tattooed code inside a laboratory beagle’s ear.
Now he is James — and for the first time, his name belongs to a life that is finally his own.
