Bloody, broken and suffering: 137 dogs rescued from Senath, Mo.

~ Woman, who apparently has a mental disorder, said she was trying to rescue the strays.

SENATH, Mo. -- Five years after 170 dogs were removed from a property in the Missouri Bootheel, the Humane Society of Missouri was back at the same location Tuesday rescuing another 137 dogs.

Many of the animals were suffering from mange and bloody sores, some appeared to have broken bones, and most appeared to have had very little human contact or veterinary care, Humane Society officials said. One dog was found dead.

"You've got just about every range of medical problem you can imagine," said Kyle Held, the Humane Society's chief investigator. "Eye infections, ear infections, mange -- dogs with absolutely no hair on their bodies."

Police issued a warrant to pick the dogs up, who were living on a rural property on County Road 568 near Senath, Mo. in Dunklin County, according to Dunklin County Sheriff's Department Deputy JoBeth Goff.

The dogs were a variety of breeds and ages, and most found in the front or back yard of the property, some in sheds or barns, she said.

Between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday, the dogs were rounded up and taken from the property without incident.

The animals were taken to the Humane Society's facility in St. Louis, where veterinarians were evaluating them. A hearing will determine if the dogs will be permanently removed from the owner.

When the same property was raided five years ago, the owner gave up the dogs and agreed to move to a different location where she was less likely to hoard animals, Humane Society spokeswoman Samantha Leavitt said. As a result, no charges were filed in that case.

This time, Held said he will likely seek charges "just so we can get some mandatory counseling and inspections to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Dunklin County Sheriff Bob Holder said they would await a full report by the Humane Society before discussing what legal steps to take with the prosecutor's office.

The owner apparently suffers from a type of disorder in which a person hoards dogs with the intention of giving them a good home, Held said.

The home was known as a place where people could drop off unwanted dogs, and the owner would take also take in strays, according to Holder.

"There is nothing intentional about this," Held said. "She could just not say no. On the other hand, she could not provide for 140 animals."

Disorder or not, Humane Society vice president of operations Debbie Hill said seeing so many dogs in jeopardy was "heartbreaking and frustrating."

After the dogs are evaluated and treated for physical problems, they will also be looked at for behavioral problems. Held said many appeared to be aggressive, others were timid. He was hopeful that many will eventually be suitable for adoption.

"They've got a long road ahead of them," he said.

Southeast Missouri writer Kyle W. Morrison contributed to this report.