ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh County Humane Society has come to the rescue of 71 beagles. Officials said the dogs, taken from a location in Lehigh County, are in poor health and in need of loving homes. 
 
 The dogs were brought to the humane society shelter from a home in Upper Saucon Township Saturday night. Staff were called to the home for noise complaints, but were not expecting what they found when they arrived. 
 
 "When we first got the complaint we were told it was 25 dogs so when we first got out there we were not prepared for what we saw," said Lehigh County Humane Society Executive Director Mary Shafer. 
 
 "I never saw so many dogs and one little space in my life," said Humane Officer Barbara Morgan. 
 
 Officials said they encountered beagles living wall-to-wall in conditions unfit for their health and well-being. 
 
 Officials said the former owner is facing the possibility of animal cruelty charges. 
 
 Officer Morgan received consent to take ownership of the dogs in writing by their former owner Sunday. The officer believes the dogs were inherited after their original owner passed away, and their care became too much. 
 
 The sudden influx of 71 dogs to the humane society has the shelter busting at the seems. 
 
 "We're already spending over $27,000 a month on meds and this just added to the bill," Shafer said. 
 
 Officials there hope the dogs quickly make their way back to healthy, normal lives. 
 
 "The dogs are doing pretty good. They're all learning to adjust. It's hard for them," Shafer said. 
 
 The public can help by considering adopting a dog or donating to the Lehigh County Humane Society. ||||| ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Animal welfare workers say 71 beagles have been removed from "deplorable conditions" in a Pennsylvania home. 
 
 Barbara Morgan, an officer with the Lehigh County Humane Society says she expects to file charges against the owner of the home near Allentown where the dogs were discovered. 
 
 Many of the dogs were sickly and underweight. Morgan says they range from weeks old to senior-aged. 
 
 Staffers were called to the home over noise complaints. 
 
 Morgan she'd never seen so many dogs squeezed into such a small space. 
 
 The Lehigh County Humane Society says in a Facebook posting the dogs are being evaluated and information on adoption will be available in coming days. Until then, they are in need of donations to help care for them, including wet food, towels, sheets and leashes.
– Animal welfare workers say 71 beagles have been removed from "deplorable conditions" in a Pennsylvania home. Barbara Morgan, an officer with the Lehigh County Humane Society, says she expects to file charges against the owner of the home near Allentown where the dogs were discovered, the AP reports. Many of the dogs, which Morgan says range from weeks old to senior-aged, were sickly and underweight. Staffers were called to the home over noise complaints, and they were shocked by what they found. "When we first got the complaint, we were told it was 25 dogs, so when we first got out there, we were not prepared for what we saw," the humane society's executive director, Mary Shafer, tells WFMZ. "I never saw so many dogs [in] one little space in my life," Morgan adds. She notes that it's believed the dogs had been inherited from another person, and that the new owner simply became overwhelmed with their care. The Lehigh County Humane Society says in a Facebook post the dogs are being evaluated, and that information on adoption will be available in coming days. Until then, the organization is in need of donations to help care for them, including wet food, towels, sheets, and leashes. Officials say the owner may get hit with animal cruelty charges.