An East Texas man has been charged with animal cruelty for confining 17 dogs, including 16 cocker spaniels, inside a home filled with feces and saturated with urine.

According to a release, on March 22, the SPCA of Texas' Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit removed 17 allegedly cruelly treated dogs from a property near Canton. They found 16 cocker spaniels and one boxer subjected to deplorable living conditions. All surfaces of the home were covered in feces and saturated with urine. They also found skeletal remains of a deceased dog under a bed.

At an April 1 hearing in a VanZandt County court, owner Kory Kimble signed the dogs over to the SPCA of Texas. He was then charged with Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals – Torture, a 3rd degree felony, and booked into the Van Zandt County jail with a $50,000 bond.

The SPCA determined that the dogs were deprived of food, water, shelter, and care.

“This was one of the most shocking cases of animal cruelty that we have encountered,” said SPCA of Texas Chief Investigator, Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit Courtney Burns, CAWA, in a statment. “The living conditions were deplorable, but the most heart-wrenching aspect of this case that you cannot see in the pictures is that these dogs were starved for human affection. They are on their road to recovery now, and the person that did this to them cannot hurt them anymore."

The ACI Team had to wear protective gear and respirators to rescue the dogs from the residence. The spaniels' fur was heavily matted and caked with feces to a degree that it affected their ability to walk, and they appeared to be suffering from skin and eye issues.

The dogs had access to filthy water only. The ACI team witnessed the dogs trying to eat dry dog food that appeared to have been strewn on top of the feces-covered floor in the kitchen.

The dogs were taken to the SPCA of Texas' facility in Dallas for medical treatment. Senior Director of Shelter Veterinary Services Dr. Shawn Ashley reported that each dog was carrying from two to three pounds of dried feces on their feet and in their hair upon arrival.

The SPCA team spent hours cleaning the dogs, including removing matted and urine-caked fur and balls of feces dried onto their feet, causing their nails to corkscrew into the balls.

The dogs were also suffering from eye infections as a result of the remarkably high ammonia levels inside the house. Ammonia levels inside the residence were measured to be 350 parts per million (ppm). Short term exposure to any ammonia level over 20 ppm or long-term exposure to any level over 12 ppm can cause health problems in humans.

To support the SPCA of Texas’ efforts to rescue, heal and find homes for animals from cases of cruelty and neglect, please visit www.spca.org/give.