State police at Lehighton, assisted by five local animal rescue shelters, have removed at least 53 small dogs from an East Penn residence.

The dogs, all Yorkshire terriers, were found living inside the owner’s mobile home and a series of makeshift kennels on the property.Their owner, who lives in a mobile home on Kittatinny Lane, is expected to be charged, police said.The dogs are not facing any imminent danger, however collectively they require a large amount of veterinary care for skin and eye conditions, according to Donna Crum, an animal control officer who volunteered to help move the animals. They are not spayed or neutered.A group of five shelters have stepped up to house the animals. Several of them are asking the public for donations to help the dogs.State troopers executed a search warrant at a home in the Lehighton area around 1 p.m. Wednesday, Crum said.Assisted by volunteers and dog law officer George Nixon, they spent eight hours removing 40 animals from the mobile home and kennels located outside.Crum, an animal cruelty officer for the Carbon County Friends of Animals, who assisted with the rescue as a volunteer, had to return to the property on Thursday after more dogs were found, and ended up taking another 13.Crum said the animals inside the house were living in a hoarder situation and were going to the bathroom on the floor. The animals outside were living in cages covered with tarps.Police said some were in the residence and others were in the basement.The dogs’ owner, a woman in her 70s, is expected to face a long list of charges for violating state dog law and animal cruelty statutes. Crum said the woman “got in over her head.”There is also a feral cat population on the property, Crum said.She pointed out that none of the animals showed signs of starvation.The dogs were taken to several local animal rescues, where they will be rehabilitated and eventually put up for adoption. She said placing the cats will be more difficult than the popular Yorkies.Crum said that the case represents the fifth time since she has been on the job in Carbon County — around 2008 — that she removed more than 30 dogs in a home.“I’m getting a lot of experience,” she said. “Unfortunately this is not the way I would like to get it. But it gives you a sense of relief as those carriers are driven off, that they can find a forever home.”The rescued dogs are not yet available for adoption, Crum said.“The dogs will not be available for adoption until the case is finished. We have to wait for the state police to release them,” she said.Crum said Trooper Erin Cawley was expected to issue a press release with more details.The dogs are at shelters in Carbon, Monroe, and Schuylkill counties. Ten are in Schuylkill, nine are in Carbon, 19 are at one shelter in Monroe County, and 15 are at another, also in Monroe.HOW TO HELP:Shelters housing the dogs are Camp Papillon Animal Shelter, Ruth Steinert Memorial SPCA, Creature Comforts, Starting Over Animal Rescue, and the Animal Shelter of Carbon.• Ruth Steinert Memorial SPCA, Pine Grove has asked for donations at

https://www.gofundme.com/rc8um8 They can be reached at 570-345-3540.• Camp Papillon, in Hamilton Township has a PayPal button available at

www.camppapillon.org. Checks can be mailed to Camp Papillon Animal Shelter, 128 Brainerd Lane, Stroudsburg, PA 18360.• Creature Comforts can be reached at creaturecomfortsvet.net or by calling 570-992-0400.• Starting Over Animal Rescue in Schnecksville is looking for foster homes, cash donations, and in-kind donations such as grooming services. Donations can be sent to: Starting Over Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 286, Schnecksville, PA 18078, or visit

www.startingoveranimalrescue.org and click on the donate through PayPal button.• Animal Shelter of Carbon, a group of local residents who foster animals, can be reached by searching Facebook for “Friends of Animal Shelter of Carbon.”