SOUTH BEND — South Bend Animal Control officers are cleaning up and caring for 23 dogs that were seized Tuesday night from a South Bend garage.

They say they will pursue animal cruelty charges against the man who lived there.

They were taken after neighbors called police Tuesday night to report a foul smell. When they got to the home in the 1000-block of California Avenue, they found all 23 dogs in cages in the garage.

In South Bend it's against city code to have more than three pets. But Animal Control officers say they were more concerned with how and where these dogs were living.

"No animal should have to be kept in a cage 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Gary Libbey with Animal Control. “That's not a way for an animal to live.”

Authorities say while they have seen worse, the animals definitely “needed some attention.”

They were well-fed but dirty, appeared to have skin conditions, overgrown toe-nails and matted hair.

"The matted hair can lead to many different medical problems for the animals,” Libbey said.

So what was going on here?

"Whether it was an animal hoarding situation or if indeed it was a puppy mill, we'd like to get all our facts together before we make any determination on what was actually going on,” Libbey said.

No one was home when the dogs were seized, and no one appeared to be home when WSBT News stopped by Wednesday. Down the street, neighbors had been wondering.

"I can't really say if they were breeding the dogs or whatever — I can't really say because I don't know — but I have seen them taking dogs in and out of the house in cages,” said neighbor Michelle Sheppard. “So I figured that, when I saw the police yesterday, I figured it was full of dogs.”

Once they’re cleaned up, some will go up for adoption, others with behavioral or health issues will go to rescue groups throughout the area.

Animal Control did notice other dogs inside the house Tuesday night. They say they didn't pursue a warrant to get into the home because it was after hours and the dogs didn't appear to be in imminent danger. But Wednesday morning those animals were gone.

They say they know who the homeowner is and they plan to talk to the prosecutor's office about what charges could be filed, including animal cruelty.