About 70 dogs and cats rescued from hoarder's home

ELLSINORE, Mo. -- Rescuers with the Humane Society of Missouri removed about 70 dogs and cats from a southern Missouri mobile home Tuesday, authorities said.

Humane Society officials say the animals were living in unsanitary conditions and owned by a woman they described as an animal hoarder. No charges have been filed. A spokeswoman for the Carter County Sheriff's office said the case was under investigation.

Investigators say the animals were living in a knee-deep mixture of mud and feces in an outdoor kennel. Some were also inside the mobile home, which was also covered in filth, Humane Society spokeswoman Katherine McGowan said.

"Unfortunately, it's not the worst we've seen," McGowan said. "But it's pretty staggering."

The animals were suffering from eye infections, upper respiratory disease and chronic hair loss. McGowan said they would be taken for medical evaluation to the Human Society's headquarters in St. Louis.

The owner has moved several times over the past 10 years, partly in an effort to elude investigators, Mc-Gowan said.

The owner had good intentions -- taking in strays and other animals, McGowan said. But the woman didn't have the room or the financial means to properly care for the animals, she said.