One of the people that owns the property where nearly 200 dogs were reportedly found living in squalor once took home top honors at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show a decade ago, according to a report.

The dogs removed from the Kingswood property were from Rocky Ridge Russells kennel, which is run by couple and business partners Marcia Knoster and Martin Strozenski, the New York Times reported.

Knoster bred a Parson Russell Terrier that won best in breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2009, the report stated.

The dogs taken from the property this week were mostly a mix of Russell terriers.

Strozenski told the New York Times that the kennel had fallen on hard times and that the couple began to have a “overflow” of dogs.

“We couldn’t give them away,” Strozeski said in the interview. “It was a hobby turned bad.”

“This wasn’t backyard breeding,” he added. “Things just went sideways. It all just got out of hand.”

The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office has not publicly identified the owners of the property and no charges were filed as of 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

A search of the home and other buildings located on the property uncovered over 170 dogs that the prosecutor’s office described as “neglected” and another 30 dogs were previously surrendered by the homeowners.

The Monmouth County SPCA, which was called to the property to assist St. Hubert’s, said in a Facebook post that the dogs seem to have had “limited human contact and minimal to no veterinary care” and that many of the dogs were pregnant and had “masses and infections.”

Strozeski said the condition of the dogs was exaggerated in reports, the New York Times article stated.

“They weren’t well cared for, but they had their primary needs — food and water, and I changed their bed everyday,” he said. “I was spending 12 hours a day with these dogs.”

The dogs are now in the care of the St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison and are in the process of being spayed and neutered, groomed and treated for any wounds or diseases they may have. The shelter said some will be available for adoption next week.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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