ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - They came from a rural community in West Virginia.
"The owner of the animals was terminally ill, unable to care for the dogs in her care anymore," said Angels of Assisi Adoption Center Director Matthew Brown.
Workers at Angels of Assisi in Roanoke brought in about 28 abused dogs with another 10 on the way.
"All of them have skin issues that are pretty severe and are going to take a long time to heal up," explained the organization's medical director Dr. Michelle Spangler.
Because there is no animal shelter in the area where the dogs were found, law enforcement did not take the animals.
"So going forward we are going to launch a rural shelter outreach program to help bring resources to these areas with veterinary care, do vaccines, spay and neuter, treat any kind of skin infections," says Brown.
The cost for the dogs medical needs is not cheap. Each dog is estimated to need about $700 in medical care.
"Donating money for their medical care is the biggest thing that can be done. Other things can be donations of supplies like hot dogs and frozen meat balls for like socialization," continued Spangler.
The dogs are not yet ready for adoption.
Given the severity of their poor condition, workers are putting in extra hours to help them recover.