Since Josephine was brought to the Humane Society of Summit County in early March severely emaciated, the 4-year-old German shepherd has more than doubled her body weight.
The dog is now 83 pounds, up from 39 pounds when she was taken from her owner’s Akron home.
The Humane Society has seen similar improvement in three other dogs rescued from the home, with all of them restored to their normal body weights. Three of the dogs — two German shepherds and a terrier mix — are up for adoption starting Thursday. Josephine, however, needs more recovery time.
“They’re going to be wonderful dogs,” said Diane Johnson, president and CEO of the Humane Society. “They’re going to make good companions. This is a very sad case.”
In fact, Johnson called this one of the worst cases the Humane Society has ever seen. It is among three animal cruelty cases filed in Summit County this year.
Angel Facemire, 52, the owner of Josephine and the three other dogs, pleaded guilty this week in Summit County Common Pleas Court to prohibitions concerning companion animals, a second-degree misdemeanor. Judge Joy Oldfield sentenced her to two years of probation and 90 days in jail, but suspended the jail time.
During her probation, Facemire is prohibited from owning any animals and the Humane Society may inspect her home to make sure she is complying. Facemire agreed to give up custody of her dogs, clearing the way for them to go to new homes.
Angel Facemire was arrested March 7 after police went to her Stanton Avenue home to arrest her husband, Richard Facemire, on a felony warrant. Officers found the four dogs in the home that had no dog food or water available. Several appeared to have been kept in cages for long periods of time.
Josephine, a name given to her by the Humane Society and the dog in the worst shape, appeared almost dead. The dog’s ribs were visible and patches of her fur were missing.
Richard Facemire, 48, pleaded guilty in late April to prohibitions concerning companion animals and aggravated possession of drugs for methamphetamine officers found in his pocket when he was arrested. Like his wife, he received two years of probation and a suspended jail sentence.
Prosecutors say the Facemires weren’t charged under Dick Goddard’s law, which makes animal cruelty a felony, rather than a misdemeanor, because the dogs survived. The defendants in the other two cases pending in Summit County both face felonies and are the first people in the county to be prosecuted under Goddard’s law, which began in September and is named for the WJW (Channel 8) weatherman who pushed for it.
Since the Humane Society gained custody of the Facemires’ dogs, the agency has been providing them with specialized medical and nutritional care. As a result, the dogs have shown a dramatic improvement:
• Pandora, age 2, was 36.6 pounds and is now 45 pounds.
• Austin, 4 or 5 years old, was 48.6 pounds and is now 75.2 pounds.
• Preston, 3 or 4 years old, was 43.4 pounds and is now 68 pounds.
Anyone interested in adopting one of the dogs may call the Humane Society at 330-487-0333 or toll free at 1-888- LUV-THEM (588-8436), visit the agency’s website at www.summithumane.org/ or go to the shelter during adoption hours. The agency also accepts donations to help in the animals’ care.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @swarsmithabj and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/swarsmith.