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BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – Dogs vomiting worms and not receiving veterinary care and a $20,000 donation from a church that allegedly is missing are some of the allegations against Julie Larish, leader and treasurer of the Belmont County Hoof & Paw animal rescue group.
These serious allegations of animal neglect and the alleged theft of tens of thousands of dollars in donations and adoption fees are the focus of two complaints filed with the Ohio Attorney General’s office against Larish by her fellow members of Belmont County Hoof & Paw.
WATCH: Julie Larish on Dimitri: Live & Dangerously Local!
An official with the Ohio Attorney General’s office provided River News Network with copies of the complaints lodged against Larish. The complainants were Lisa Higgenbotham and Cindi Yanez, both of St. Clairsville. Yanez states in her complaint that she is a Harrison County Dog Warden.
River News Network spoke with Larish in early September when rumors of an investigation by the Ohio AG began. Larish says the she knows the people who filed the complaints, and they were friends.
There were two complaints filed with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Both complainants are friends and both complaints were about me specifically, not the group.
Julie Larish, Leader/Treasurer Belmont County Hoof & Paw, Sept. 12 email to River News Network
Higgenbotham made one complaint in which she lists herself as a “member of Belmont County Hoof & Paw and an unpaid Humane Officer hired by the organization.”
Higgenbotham claims in her complaint that Larish is the group’s treasurer and does not account for or use donations “correctly,” allegedly using them for herself and benefitting “personally and financially” from the rescue group.
Higgenbotham claims Larish gives goat de-wormer medication to dogs without veterinary supervision. She claims the dogs Larish keeps on her property are in “deplorable” conditions and do not receive proper vet care.
Larish allegedly placed sick dogs that had worms in the Belmont County prison training program, and these dogs infected other dogs in that program, according to Higgenbotham.
In a September 19 email to River News Network, Larish denies these allegations, saying she uses three area vets and provides de-wormer to dogs.
All dogs coming in get treated for worms and fleas. Most of the dogs coming in are extremely thin and sick, full of worms and fleas. Our vet gives us a big bottle of wormer for this reason. We don’t get to pick up healthy dogs running at large. We get dogs that are near death. We have only lost one dog to those conditions. When we take them alive, we do everything in our power to keep them alive.
Julie Larish, Leader/Treasurer Belmont County Hoof & Paw, Sept. 19 email to River News Network
Larish allegedly raises donations through the Belmont Hoof & Paw Facebook page. When a group of pregnant German Shepherds came into the rescue and one possibly needed a C-section, Larish reportedly raised money for her on Facebook, but when the Shepherd did not need a C-section, Larish failed to inform the donors or refund their money, according to Yanez.
Higgenbotham’s complaint alleges that Larish uses donations for fundraisers like band bashes and poker runs that cost thousands of dollars and ultimately result in the loss of even more thousands of dollars.
Larish houses rescue animals on her property in Jacobsburg. Yanez says the conditions on Larish’s property are “deplorable” and that the conditions the animals live in there are equal or worse than the environments they were rescued from.
Larish denies that she does not care for the animals in her care.
As for anyone knowing the care of the animals, the people who made these complaints have never been to our facility to help with the dogs. They claim they got their information from another party who has only been here once or twice. None of these people help with the daily care, nor do they know what we do to clean, feed and vet dogs.
Julie Larish, Leader/Treasurer Belmont County Hoof & Paw, Sept. 19 email to River News Network
The Ohio S.P.C.A. denies any affiliation with Larish. John Bell, attorney for that organization, told River News Network in a September 5 e-mail.
Julie Larish is not now, not has she ever been affiliated with Ohio S.P.C.A.
John Bell, Attorney for Ohio S.P.C.A.
Bell says Larish or someone acting for her may have asked about training.
Ms. Larish or someone acting on her behalf may have contacted Ohio S.P.C.A. regarding training her as a Humane Agent, and Ohio S.P.C.A. may have paid for that training or been asked to do so.
John Bell, Attorney for Ohio S.P.C.A.
Bell says Ohio S.P.C.A. is aware of the complaints against Larish and asked the Ohio Attorney General to investigate, but Ohio S.P.C.A. did not initiate the complaints.
Larish says she is cooperating with the state’s investigation.
We are complying with the state to validate the complaint. Once cleared, our information will be turned over to the prosecutor’s office with the state’s recommendations.
Julie Larish, Leader/Treasurer Belmont County Hoof & Paw, Sept. 19 email to River News Network
Larish is a well-known figure in Belmont County, having testified in numerous animal abuse and hoarding cases in Belmont County. She has appeared on Dimitri: Live & Dangerously Local! She was also nominated for a woman-of-the year type award by a local group.
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