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LISBON -- A Minerva area couple accused of having their dogs living in muddy "deplorable conditions" without enough access to shade, access to fresh water and leaving a female pit bull tied with a large, tangled chain while she was giving birth to puppies appeared in Columbiana County Municipal Court for sentencing on Monday.
William T. Goebeler, 55, and Dawn R. Goebeler, 46, state Route 172, Minerva, were each fined $200 and sentenced to 14 days in jail following a sentencing hearing before Columbiana County Municipal Court Judge Chris Amato. Dawn Goebeler was additionally ordered to perform 60 hours community service.
The two had previously pleaded no contest to prohibitions concerning companion animals. William Goebeler noted they did not have the money to continue fighting the charges, which were filed last August. The Goebelers were being defended by attorney Patrick L. Cusma.
Testifying at the hearing on Monday, Deputy Dog Warden Amy Dowd said the county dog warden's office received an anonymous call on Aug. 15 alerting them of at least one dog on the Goebeler property without shade on a 90-degree day. She found five dogs in one pen -- three beagles and two feists. The five dogs were sharing one 55 gallon drum as a box, had a bowl with green, slimy water and mud and feces throughout the pen. Additionally, she found the pregnant pit bull to tangled by a large chain to reach her box or some of her puppies to which she had recently given birth in the mud. She was still in the process of giving birth at the time. Another dog was in the front of the home. All the dogs were confiscated from the home.
According to Dowd, despite the best efforts of medicine given, 11 of the 12 puppies died.
Cusma provided a letter from William Goebeler's physician stating his many health problems, including a prosthetic leg he has and noted his wife, Dawn Goebeler is needed to care for him. A daughter testified about her father's poor health, noting he has diabetes which led to the loss of his leg and her mother is responsible for feeding him, bathing him and making sure he takes his insulin.
William Goebeler said he has problems getting around due to his health, but Dawn Goebeler had been outside to feed and water the dogs earlier that morning. She noted the beagles and feists sometime urinate in or on the side of their own bowl.
She also told Amato she saw the pit bull was giving birth that day, but the dog was not tangled and seemed fine. She left to go to the grocery store in Alliance.
"When I left all the puppies were lying right up next to her," Dawn Goebeler said.
Additionally, the couple said the feists were obtained for the grandchildren and usually stayed in the basement, except when Dawn Goebeler had to leave. The pit bull reportedly stayed in the house in the winter time.
They added they did not breed the pit bull and believed the puppies were the result of someone else failing to confine a dog on their property. William Goebeler told Amato the hunting dogs are trained to go through the mud and the briars. He has trained many beagles to hunt rabbits in the past and the feists were for squirrel hunting.
Assistant County Prosecutor Alec Beech recommended a seven-day jail sentence for the Goebelers.
"Owning animals requires a certain level of responsibility," Beech said. "I don't think the defendants lived up to that responsibility."
As part of the probation, the Goebelers will be allowed to keep two rat terriers inside the home, which Dowd said she has checked on and they were healthy. However, the dogs will be subject to random checks by the dog warden.
Amato asked William Goebeler if he is going to take care of these animals, to which Goebeler responded "I took care of the other animals."
The Goebelers will be sent to jail on separate dates with Dawn Goebeler serving her 14-day jail sentence starting on March 24 and William Goebeler serving his time after she returns in April.