FOSTORIA | 11 Dogs, Missing Fingers, Multiple Citations – The Largest 2024 Dog Warden Case in Fostoria, OH

Fostoria – ELM St. – Report 1

Fostoria – ELM St. – Report 2

Fostoria – ELM St. – Report 3

Table of Contents:

1. Inro
2. Initial Complaint, Animal Injuries
3. No Licenses, Citations
4. Owner Response

The investigation documents describe how the Seneca County Dog Warden responded to a serious multi‑dog fight and dog‑bite incident at 332 Elm Street in Fostoria, uncovering widespread licensing and care problems with numerous dogs at the property.

Initial complaint and scene

On November 12, 2024, Fostoria Police contacted Dog Warden Kelly Marker about an active dog fight at 332 Elm Street with a male victim suffering severe hand injuries while trying to separate the animals. Officers reported that by the time the warden arrived, the dogs had been separated and were inside the residence, and the victim, James Byer, had already been transported to the hospital. The backyard, where the dogs were regularly confined, was shown to the warden as the location of the fight.

Dogs present and injuries

Inside the home, Amber Byer and her family showed the warden a large number of dogs, primarily Cur‑type mixed breeds about eight months old, along with several younger puppies and a few licensed adult dogs of other breeds. One dog, a female named Tinker or Tinkerbell, was upstairs and described as “severely injured” from a previous fight that had occurred several days earlier, but no veterinary care had been sought at that time. Several other dogs had open wounds and visible injuries consistent with recent or ongoing fighting.​

Licensing and citations

The warden asked each owner to produce 2024 dog licenses and learned that many of the Cur mixes were unlicensed despite being over three months of age. Aaliyah Vo, identified as the owner of a male black‑and‑white Cur mix named Salem, admitted the dog was unlicensed and received citation 2245 for failure to register a dog over three months old under Ohio Revised Code 955.21. Amber Byer accepted responsibility for multiple other Cur mixes—June, Azril, Lilith, Tinker, Odin, and two younger pups Thor and Zeus—and was issued a series of citations (numbers 2507, 2508, 2509, 2510, 2511, and 2018) for failing to register these dogs. Three pit‑type or pointer‑type dogs on the property (Nala, Sigyn, Loki) were documented as having current 2024 licenses.

Rabies, quarantine, and options given

Because no one could say which specific dog bit James Byer and most dogs were not vaccinated, the warden ordered that the dogs be quarantined for ten days for rabies observation. Amber stated the dogs were not up to date on shots, and the warden explained her options: quarantine the dogs at the Dog Warden’s office for a fee, surrender animals to the Seneca County Humane Society if space allowed, or take aggressive dogs to a veterinarian for euthanasia with rabies testing if done before the quarantine period ended. The warden also offered help in locating a veterinarian and provided information on how to purchase dog licenses as soon as possible.​

Contacts with other agencies

During the investigation, the warden contacted the Seneca County Humane Society to report the number of dogs, the injuries, and the lack of vet care, and learned that the prior humane agent was no longer employed and that staff would review photos of the conditions. She also contacted Seneca County Children Services because several small children lived in the home along with the many dogs, but Children Services determined the situation was “non‑reportable” regarding child neglect or abuse at that time. The warden continued to communicate with Humane Society staff, emailing photographs and seeking to coordinate potential surrenders.​

Follow‑up and subsequent information

In follow‑up on November 13, the warden spoke again with Amber Byer, who stated that James Byer’s injuries, while involving six puncture wounds, were less severe than initially believed and required no stitches, and that the specific biting dog still had not been identified. Amber reported she might have homes lined up for several dogs (Zeus, Thor, Azril, Nala), though she did not yet know exactly where they would go, and the warden insisted on being informed of their destinations. Amber later left a voicemail for the shelter stating she had miscalculated the dogs’ ages—saying they were born July 30—and that the severely injured dog Tinkerbell had died. Police call logs attached to the file document the original 911 report of “active dog fight” with approximately nine to eleven dogs, EMS transport of James Byer, and notes that the Dog Warden cited owners for no licenses and that both the owner and warden had reached out to the Humane Society about surrendering dogs.

Overall, the investigation concludes with multiple citations issued for unlicensed dogs, documentation of serious dog‑on‑dog and dog‑on‑human injuries, a mandated quarantine period, and ongoing efforts to reduce the number of dogs at the residence through surrenders or other measures while involving supporting agencies as needed.

Owner Response: 11/19/24, 2:57 AM

“So there is a nasty post going around on FB saying that I am an animal abuser and animal neglecter, I am here to clear that up for anyone that believes it or has seen it, or know someone that has seen it and believes it.
Every single person that knows me knows this is a complete lie! I would never and have never hurt or neglected an animal. For goodness sakes my dogs have a queen bed of their own, I spend $200 weekly on food and treats for them. Heck they even get to take over the furniture while humans get kicked off it! Ask anyone who has been to my house.
My dogs are going into puberty and they got into a dominance fight and Tinker got severe internal injuries that took her life, Azriel had a few cuts on his head that was possible bites, but Not one other dog was injured, My husband got injured too, and I appreciate the help the neighbors tried to give, although I don’t agree with their methods. One neighbor shot her gun into my yard to try and distract the dogs from fighting, that didn’t work, my other neighbor was hitting the fence with a skillet and that didn’t work either.
The reason Tinker-Belle got so injured is because she was hooked to her lead( as she likes to jump the fence) and my husband being an amputee was having issues trying to get her unhooked. He finally got her and brought her in. She ended up passing the next morning (Wed morning) Fight was on Tuesday.
No dogs were injured before this fight!!!! There was never a dog upstairs, it was in my living room when the warden showed up. Not one of my animals tried to bite the warden or anyone else. The fight literally happened an hour before she got here, and Tinker was injured in that fight, not days prior!!! We have been calling the warden and humane society for months trying to get help with the dogs, the humane society was over full so they couldn’t help us, and every time we’d call the warden and leave a message we got ignored.
I have since gotten rid of quite a few of my babies and it kills my heart, but I know it’s for the best.
I know there was too many dogs in my house, I’ve been trying to get rid of them since they was born. But no luck with that so I was dealing with it as best I could. These fights are not a normal thing around here so we were surprised when it happened so bad and fast. Yes I knew eventually something like this would happen with all the dogs I had. But we tried our best to prevent it. Because my private information was posted on the reports I have been getting threatening phone calls, and messages, they’re even going as far as calling my friends and trying to cause problems ”