 CLOSE In June 2016, crews rescued 276 dogs from deplorable conditions inside a bi-level Bennett Road. At least 276 dogs and counting were rescued in what's being called the worst case of animal hoarding in Monmouth County.The dog were found inside a home in Howell Township, New Jersey.A litter of puppies was born just minutes before help arrived.SPCA officials say the owners definitely cared for the animals, but things clearly got out of control.Crews set up a triage unit outside the home to evaluate the canines.They vaccinated and micro-chipped the dogs before sending them to the Monmouth County SPCA.It's requesting crates, blankets, food and money to care for them. (Photo: Andrew Ford/Staff photo)Buy Photo 
 
 HOWELL – More than 200 dogs -- including at least one giving birth -- were rescued from deplorable conditions inside a bi-level home in what authorities are calling "an extreme hoarding situation," authorities said. "Most of these dogs have never seen the outside of their house before," said Ross Licitra, chief law enforcement officer for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The house raised suspicions from an Associated Humane Society official as he investigated a report of a dog on the loose by Bennett Road in Howell on Thursday, authorities said. "They're just undersocialized, fearful," said Heather Cammisa of St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, who was assisting in the rescue. "They haven't been around a lot of people." With that, the couple returned to the house. "I would knock on her door and say, 'Charlene, open the door, you have a dog loose,' and she would never open the door," she said. Urine and feces were on the floor, and holes were torn through walls. He was knocking on doors in the area when he came across the home, where a foul odor was emanating. The officer, with the Associated Humane Society, suspected more was going on, eventually made contact with the owners of the house and then contacted the SPCA, Licitra said. Neighbor Suzanne DeGrande said she hadn't seen Charlene Handrick outside of the home in about five years. The owners, Charlene and Joseph Handrick, are expected to face charges. Anyone interested in adopting may contact St. Hubert's at 973-377-7094, the Associated Humane Society of Monmouth at 732-922-0100 or the Monmouth SPCA at 732-542-0040 or adoptions@monmouthcountyspca.org. Information is below in the article 
 
 Authorities have seized 276 small dogs from a New Jersey home in what one official described as "the worst hoarding situation" they had seen in Monmouth County.
– At least 276 dogs have been rescued from a single 1,880-square-foot home in what one New Jersey official calls "the worst hoarding case that we've ever experienced," the Asbury Park Press reports. The problem was discovered Thursday by an animal control officer called about a loose dog, and rescuers started removing the pups Friday morning. According to NBC New York, the dogs—pugs, chihuahuas, terriers, and more—were found living under beds and on bookshelves. And a sheriff's deputy describes a contraption "like a hamster cage for dogs." Rescuers equipped with hazmat suits and ventilators used thermal imaging equipment to find dogs living in the house's walls. “We’re not bad people,” Joseph Hendricks tells the Press. Joseph and his wife Charlene say they started with eight dogs, but those eight reproduced. In fact, WPVI reports a fresh litter was born just minutes before rescuers got to the home. Charges against the couple depend on the health of the dogs. And despite "deplorable" conditions—urine and feces on the floor, a stench that could be smelled outside the home—the dogs seemed surprisingly well cared for. A handful required veterinary care or oxygen after being rescued, but no dead dogs were found. Charlene calls the pups "my family." The dogs, most of which had never been outside their house, will be put up for adoption when they're ready.