PARMA, Ohio — The woman who owns the Mantua house where 146 dogs were found dead last week also was found to have an additional 36 dogs, including more than 12 deceased, at her home in Parma, police said on Thursday.
Barbara Wible has been charged with cruelty to animals, a fifth-degree felony. Her case has been forwarded to the Cuyahoga County Grand Jury where additional charges are expected.
On June 2, the Parma Police Department was dispatched to a house on West Ridgewood Drive for a welfare check. An Amazon driver told police that several packages were pilling up at the home, some that may have been there for more than a week.
Officers found the 68-year-old Wible on the floor, but moving. She told police she wasn't sure how long she was on the floor, but guessed she had fallen down. Wible was taken to University Hospitals Parma Medical Center for treatment and remains hospitalized.
In addition to finding Wible, police found several dogs both alive and dead at the house and contacted the Parma Animal Control Officer. A total of 36 dogs were found at the house, 24 of them were alive and 12 were dead. Three of the 24 dogs were taken to an emergency veterinary clinic where one survived and two were euthanized. The remaining 22 dogs were taken to the Parma Animal Shelter for rehabilitation.
On June 16, a search warrant was executed by the Portage Animal Protective League’s Humane Investigations Department. A total of 146 dead dogs found were in various stages of decay, with many of them confined in their crates. No dogs were found alive at the residence.
The search warrant was executed after the Protective League says it had received a tip regarding a pending animal cruelty charge against the homeowner (Wible) in another jurisdiction. Wible was identified as the founding operator of Canine Lifeline, Inc., a nonprofit animal rescue.
Earlier this week, Canine Lifeline, Inc. wrote a long post on Facebook expressing shock at the revelations discovered at Wible's house. The post, as well as the Facebook page, has since been removed. A screenshot of the post is below.
"We share your grief and despair," the organization wrote. "Wible was a very private person who appeared, to us, to be devoted to these rescue animals; it appeared to be her life's passion, and we are sickened and blindsighted (sic) to learn this was a facade."
3News' Ben Axelrod and Neil Fischer contributed to this story