Nearly 170 dogs were rescued on Monday, November 12, from a puppy mill near the Minnesota border in northern Iowa, according to a report from the Des Moines Register.

The commercial breeding operation, known as White Fire Kennel, was keeping the dogs inside a home and in barn-like structures, Tim Rickey, vice president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) field investigations and response, told the Register.

All of the dogs were Samoyeds, a breed of large herding dog with a thick, white, double-layer coat famous for herding reindeer in Siberia, and ranged in age from young puppies to nine years old. They were kept in overcrowded conditions with no access to clean water, the Register reported. Along with the dogs, four neglected cats were also found inside the residence.

ASPCA

“The investigation was set into motion by the Worth County Sheriff’s Office several months ago when local animal welfare groups became aware of the breeder’s inability to properly care for her animals and alerted local authorities,” Emily Schneider of the ASPCA told Teen Vogue in an email. “The Worth County Sheriff’s Office contacted the ASPCA for assistance with evidence collection, removal, and sheltering of 160 dogs from an inhumane commercial breeding facility often referred to as a ‘puppy mill’ in Worth County.”

“We’re pleased to be able to support the Worth County Sheriff’s Office in removing these animals from this heartbreaking situation and providing them with much-needed care and treatment,” Schneider told Teen Vogue.