They’re small, furry and cute, but the dogs living with Lisa Bogardi in Langley, B.C. have a history that could break your heart.

Bogardi has been nurturing the two-dozen Pekingese and Shih Tzus back to health for months, ever since they were rescued from shocking neglect at a hoarder house south of the border.

She said at first, the dogs’ condition was the worst she’s ever seen.

“Just bring you to tears,” said Bogardi, who runs the Pekingese Rescue of B.C. “You couldn’t even tell they were dogs. They were matted up, some of them couldn’t walk.”

The dogs were among 60 suffering canines discovered by police at a home in Belfair, Wash. in February.

The Mason County Sheriff’s Office said the animals’ owners had fallen ill, and their house was covered in layers of filth – a scene so appalling responding officers had to don hazmat suits.

“Inside was deplorable,” Det. William Adam said the day after the rescue. “Many of the dogs were living in their own feces, and there were some dead animals inside.”

The dogs were locked in cages, and some had open wounds, rotten teeth, eye infections and other ailments.

A few died, despite their rescue.

Bogardi said she was asked to help care for some of the survivors, and ended up taking on a lot more than she first expected.

“I found out there were 24 still left,” she said. “I think they were the sickest ones. I just said, ‘We’ll take them all.’”

Months later, many are ready for their forever homes. Some of the dogs, including one that had to have an eye removed last week, need more medical attention, and Bogardi has set up an online fundraiser to help pay for their surgeries.

“They just need the second chapter of their life to be so much better than it was,” she said.

Anyone who wants more information can contacted Bogardi by email. To donate, visit her page on GoFundMe.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Michele Brunoro