A woman whose employee said her ear-clipping procedures often left miniature schnauzers "crying and screaming" has pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated cruelty to animals - torture after police said she performed the procedures on four puppies in Palmyra.

Joan L. Huber, 83, of Montgomery County, had cropped ears of dogs without proper pain medication "hundreds of times," according to a former employee who gave information to police that was included in Humane Officer Gregory Jordan's affidavit of probable cause for the charges filed against Huber.

Background:Woman charged with animal torture for illegally cropping schnauzer puppies’ ears

More:Police: Cruelty to schnauzers happened at Palmyra pet grooming business

Those charges stemmed from an April 29 incident at Jo-Mi Pet Grooming in the 500 block of East Main Street, Palmyra, where police say Huber used scissors or razor blades to crop the ears of four schnauzer puppies without proper sedation. Huber's employee told police she did administer some sort of drug to the four puppies to sedate them, but the dogs typically cry when they are being sutured because "they are coming out of it."

Sandra Wagner, the owner of Jo-Mi Pet Grooming, told the Lebanon Daily News in September that she did let Huber alone in her store on April 29, but said she did not know what Huber did to the puppies. Huber did not work at Jo-Mi Pet Grooming.

Why would anyone clip a puppy's ears?

The technical term for cutting off the floppy part of a puppy’s ear is called cropping. The ears are taped to a hard surface so that when they heal they stay upright.

According to a WedMD article about cropping and docking -- the practice of removing part of a dog's tail -- such procedures are done primarily to attain a desired appearance in certain dog breeds. The American Kennel Club has traditionally supported the practices, when done while pups are young and performed by professionals who administer anesthesia. Some veterinary and animal rights groups, however, oppose the practice as cruel, unnecessary and risky.

How did the case against Huber unfold?

Acting on a tip, the SPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement Team later executed a search warrant at a kennel in Union County where the puppies were housed, according to a news release from the SPCA. They found four 3-month-old miniature schnauzers that had recently undergone an ear cropping procedure that is only legal when performed under anesthesia and by a licensed veterinarian.

Huber pleaded guilty on March 20 to four charges of aggravated cruelty to animals - torture and four charges of aggravated cruelty to animals - causing serious bodily injury or death, all felonies, according to court documents.

Her sentencing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. May 29 in front of Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas Judge Bradford H. Charles.

The four puppies were treated at the SPCA'S shelter hospital and were adopted, the SPCA said.