Dozens of dogs have been removed from a home in Albany as officials investigate a case of alleged neglect. The Benton County Sheriff's office has taken those canines to the Humane Society as deputies collect evidence.

Authorities issued a warrant to remove the dogs early Monday afternoon and after hours of searching the home, say what they found inside, was worse than expected.

One by one the dogs were being removed from their home in north Albany. The Benton County Sheriff's office confiscated the animals because officials suspect they've been neglected.

"There's just a large amount of dogs in there that have a lot of animal waste. It has just accumulated quite a bit and hasn't been cleaned up as well as it could be," said Lt. Greg Ridler.

Officials with the Heartland Humane Society says they've known about the situation for a number of years, but were unable to rescue the dogs because the owner had moved back and forth across county lines.

"As soon as we knew she was back in Benton County we started talking to Benton County officials about the condition of the animals," said Kerry Mullin, the executive director of Heartland Humane Society.

Late Monday, the animals were transferred to the humane society where they were being checked out by the veterinarian. So far authorities have found nearly 60 small breed dogs that they say were living in filthy conditions.

"There's as much feces as you would possibly imagine for this many dogs. The walls inside the house and all the area their house in are all eaten away looks like the dogs eat the wall," said Mullin.

And as the investigation continues, the questions about why the animals lived like this continue to grow.

"It's obvious to us that she cannot take care of them adequately and she believe that she can," said Lt. Ridler.

Officials with Benton County Sheriff's office say the owner of the house will likely be charged with second degree animal neglect once they can determine how many dogs were living inside the home.

Heartland Humane Society is looking for donations of pet food to help them care for the dogs. Once the dogs are cleaned up they'll also be looking for foster homes to care for the animals.

If you're interested in fostering or would like to make a donation to assist in their care or medical expenses, please contact Heartland Humane Society at (541) 757-9000.