(UnitedVoice.com) – Animal rescuers are, by definition, supposed to protect the animals entrusted to their care. Unfortunately, time and again, there are stories about people doing the exact opposite. That’s precisely what happened in Ohio recently.
On June 2, Parma police responded to a call after an Amazon delivery driver reported packages were piling up outside of a home for more than a week. The driver also noticed flies buzzing around inside the house. Officers arrived at the home and found 68-year-old Barbara Wible, the founder of Canine Lifeline, on the floor. She told them that she had fallen down but didn’t know how long she’d been there. First responders transported her to University Hospitals Parma Medical Center.
Police also found 36 dogs in Wible’s home. Of those animals, 12 of them were dead. Three others were taken to an emergency vet, where two were euthanized. Twenty-two dogs were taken to the Pharma Animal Shelter. The incident led to an investigation. On June 16, the Portage Animal Protective League’s Humane Investigations Department served a search warrant on another property that she owned. What they found there was an absolute horror show.
In a June 19 post on social media, the Portage Animal Protective League noted that it discovered 146 dead dogs in different stages of decay, many of them in the crates. No live animals were found in the home.
Police have charged Wible with a fifth-degree felony count of cruelty to animals.
Canine Lifeline issued a statement about the incident stating that none of the organization’s volunteers knew about any medical issues she suffered from, what the inside of her house was like, or how many dogs she was keeping. The organization is cooperating with authorities and is trying to navigate the “feelings of bewilderment, betrayal, and grief” brought on by Wible’s alleged actions.
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