The SPCA of Texas, along local law enforcement, coordinated a major rescue Wednesday of dozens of dogs and puppies at what the group said was an alleged puppy mill in Van Zandt County.
The SPCA said in a Facebook post that 60 dogs and puppies were rescued alive from a home in Canton, where they were living in urine soaked and feces-filled crates with no access to food or water.
"In one room, several nursing mothers with litters of puppies were found confined in small, plastic and wire crates in a closet," read the SPCA's post.
The crew also discovered 12 animals deceased, including one adult dog and eleven puppies, that had been individually wrapped in plastic bags and stuck in the kitchen freezer, according to the SPCA.
The animals' owner told Van Zandt County Sheriff investigators they were selling the dogs for profit, the SPCA said.
All large-scale breeders in Texas are required by law to be licensed, and at this time, it's still unclear if this owner had a license.
A custody hearing for the animals will be held at the end of March in Van Zandt County.
