A Lake County, Ind., woman could face charges Monday morning after more than 30 dogs -- both dead and alive -- were found amid horrendous conditions in her home on Friday.
Investigators from the sheriff's department made the discovery after executing a search warrant at the home on 245th Street in Schneider, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported. The warrant was obtained on allegations of animal abuse and neglect.
Seventeen mixed-breed dogs, likely Border Collie and Australian Shepherds, were found alive. The carcasses of another 15 dogs were found in a blood-stained freezer.
The 62-year-old homeowner was not at present during the search. She's not been publically identified because formal charges haven't yet been issued, but she's expected to be charged with one count of animal cruelty and neglect for each dog.
The woman had for years lived out of her car and not the home, neighbors said.
Next-door neighbor Dawn Martin said summertime cookouts with her family were abandoned because of the horrible smell.
"I feel bad, but it's not livable in the house," she told the Post-Tribune.
A detective said the animals are being treated and held at the Lake County Animal Adoption and Control Center.
"They're scared, of course. I don't know that they've had much human contact," a spokeswoman at the center said.
A veterinarian performed an initial check-up on all of the dogs at the home before they were transported. A few of the females may have mammary cancer due to being overbred, but confirmation of that will come later.
Post-Tribune Photos: Dogs Removed from Squalor
