HOARDER
146 dogs found dead at home of animal rescue group’s president, Ohio officials say



Mitchell Willetts
Tue, June 20, 2023

Animal welfare workers found 146 dead dogs at the home of an Ohio canine rescue group’s president, according to a news release.

On June 16, the Portage Animal Protective League arrived at the Mantua home with a search warrant, which it obtained “after receiving a tip that an animal cruelty charge was pending” against the homeowner, the organization said in a June 19 release.

“The homeowner is known to be a founding operator of Canine Lifeline, Inc., a nonprofit animal rescue,” the release said.

Inside the home, workers found 146 dogs “in varying stages of decay,” many of them in crates and cages, the organization said. There were no dogs alive on the property.


The organization will carry out necropsies on the dogs to determine their causes of death, according to the release.

McClatchy News has reached out to the Portage County Sheriff’s Office for more information and did not immediately receive a response.

Canine Lifeline was quick to speak out about the accusations.

“Like the general public, volunteers of the non-profit animal rescue organization Canine Lifeline have been shocked, horrified and confused to learn of the devastating revelations regarding its president and co-founder,” the group said in a statement. “We share your grief and despair.”

The co-founder suffered a medical incident in early June, collapsing in her home, the group said. First responders showed up to the residence and an investigation was launched, revealing evidence of animal neglect at the Mantua home, and another home in Parma, according to the group.

Canine Lifeline added that, since the group was first established, it has homed more than 6,000 dogs.

“[She] was a very private person who appeared, to us, to be devoted to these rescue animals,” the group said. “Volunteers and adoptive families that gave their time and energy to the cause of animal welfare are now navigating feelings of bewilderment, betrayal, and grief in light of what has been learned about [her] secret treatment of animals.”

Mantua is roughly 40 miles southeast of downtown Cleveland.