STRATFORD, NY (WNYT/NBC News) State police and animal control officers have seized more than a dozen starving dogs from a foreclosed home in Stratford, New York after a contractor taking pictures of the property for foreclosure proceedings noticed the horrifying situation and called authorities.

There were 22 French mastiffs in total. Of those, 13 were emaciated and nine were dead.

Bentley Valdez, who police say owns the dogs, is charged with 22 counts of failure to provide sustenance to his dogs, class A misdemeanors.

Troopers found some dogs in the trash-filled house. They found others outside, ribs visible, in crates and cages. Some dead dogs were in plastic bags when troopers arrived.

“This is the worst one I’ve seen in my experience, just by the sheer number of dogs that were dead,” noted Captain Mike Tietz.

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