PETITION CLOSED
PETITION TARGET: Mahoning County Prosecutors and Judge, Mahoning County Sheriff and Humane Animal Control Officers
UPDATE (10/23/2023): Mahoning County deputies returned to the property and found one goat dead, another goat stuck in the fence and struggling to breathe, and three additional goats in deplorable conditions, who have since been turned over to the Animal Charity of Ohio, according to news reports. The defendant has since been sentenced to five years probation, ordered to pay a $350 fine, and is not allowed to ever again own goats. He must sell the ones he has by Nov. 2 or surrender them to Animal Charity. He’s also subject to routine inspections to ensure that he doesn’t obtain any more goats, according to news. We thank everyone who signed our petition, and we’ll keep advocating for animals. — Lady Freethinker Staff
*
At least two goats suffered after being left entangled in an electric fence — reportedly for several hours — in Mahoning County, Ohio.
Law enforcement – who had cited the goats’ owner twice in the past month, including for 100+ goats getting loose – arrived to find one goat so tightly tangled that the goat appeared to be choking while trying to escape.
A witness alleged to have seen at least 30 goats stuck in the fence at various times, including one he reportedly found dead, according to the deputies’ reports — which mention dead goats found near the fence and under a bale of hay on two occasions.
A Deceased Goat Found On The Property (Courtesy of Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office)
The deputies reported witnessing the goats’ owner throwing them over the 5-foot fence and also smacking a goat in the head with a PVC pipe while they were on the property, according to news. One deputy’s report, obtained by Lady Freethinker through public records request, noted the smacked goat was knocked unconscious temporarily and spent at least two minutes in a daze following the beating.
The deputies also reported that the goats appeared to be starving and seeking grass outside of their enclosure and recommended that the goats be rescued and re-homed, noting it appeared the owner “is unable to control and care for them himself,” according to their reports.
But a judge has allowed the goats’ owner to keep them, pending his next court hearing, despite the multiple citations and reportedly clear indicators that the goats are not being cared for properly.
No goat deserves to starve, suffer, and die a painful and prolonged death as these goats reportedly are doing. The Mahoning County Court and prosecutors must treat this case with the severity it deserves.
Sign our petition urging the Mahoning County Judge to treat this case seriously, and for Mahoning County prosecutors to push for full accountability in this case — including a maximum ban on owning animals for the individual(s) involved – and also for an immediate seizure and relocation of any suffering goats during court proceedings to ensure their welfare. We’re also asking the Mahoning County Sheriff and the humane animal control officers to conduct an immediate welfare check on these goats to ensure they are okay.
