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Workers with the Atlanta Humane Society took in 32 dogs Wednesday night after authorities in Macon-Bibb County rescued them from what they described as a case of neglect.

According to AHS, the owner surrendered the dogs to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office. Many of the Maltese, Cocker Spaniel and Chihuahua mixes were in clear need of grooming, suffering from matted fur and hair loss. Others had more severe problems including visible eye issues.

"I would say what makes this more significant than a single animal neglect case is obviously, just the amount of animals that were inside of this home and the more animals that somebody has, then the harder it is to obviously take care of them," said Jessica Rock, director of legal advocacy and law enforcement support for the Atlanta Humane Society.

Work began Thursday morning to clean up the animals and treat any underlying medical conditions.

"They get nails trimmed, ears cleaned, eyes cleaned," explained Director of the Atlanta Humane Society's Cruelty Investigation Division, Mike Perkins. "They could be up for adoption as soon as this weekend."