146 Dead Dogs Discovered in Ohio Animal Rescuer’s Home After Search Warrant Executed

MANTUA, OH – A horrific scene unfolded this week when officials discovered 146 dead dogs littered about the former Mantua, Ohio home of the founder and president of an animal rescue organization. 

The rescue, Canine Lifeline, confirmed that Barbara Wible had been “hospitalized after having been found collapsed” in her home in the city of Parma by first responders responding to a medical emergency.  

While there, officials say that they uncovered “overwhelming evidence” of ongoing fatal animal neglect in both Wible’s current Parma residence, as well as her previous Mantua home. 

While conducting an investigation, the Portage County Animal Protective League – partnered with a court-appointed Humane Agent – executed a search warrant at Wible’s Mantua house and is currently looking into the cause of death of the dogs found abandoned there. 

The Humane Agent discovered the bodies of the 146 dogs in Wible’s former home, all of whom were dead and in varying stages of decay, with many of them still confined inside of their crates. There were no living animals found in the house. 

The animals will have autopsies performed upon them to determine the official causes of death. 

Canine Lifeline – which claims that it has helped rescue more than 6,000 animals since it was founded in 2009 – issued a statement in response to the news, saying that they had no idea what was going on at the homes of the organization’s founder. 

“No volunteers were aware of any medical conditions that Wible had been diagnosed with prior to this most recent hospitalization, nor were any aware of the number of dogs she harbored, nor the condition of her home,” Canine Lifeline said. 

Wible’s former neighbor in Mantua, Jon Collier, told local media that she had just abandoned the property one day and never returned, and that he was unaware of the animals inside that she had left to die. 

“The state of that house and everything that was in it was just, there’s not even words to describe it. It was just horrendous,” he said “She just left. Not a care in the world. I don’t know who could do that or why she would do that, but just to leave them and not even have food or water.”