Twenty-two small dogs, mostly chihuahuas as young as two weeks old, and one border collie, were rescued from a home in Weston, twenty miles northeast of Pendleton, Oregon, in mid-April, 2010.

A Portland team of eight, in three vans, drove four hours each way to reach the small town.

The rescuers had to bring hazmat suits with resperators to gather the dogs from inside the squalid home which was covered in hoarded garbage as well as feces and urine.

The owners could well be facing animal neglect and abuse charges, but the hoarding behavior which included trash as well as dogs is clear evidence of mental illne

The couple, and their twelve year old child, had no idea how many dogs were in the house. Many of them lived in the unventilated basement, where it was nearly impossible to breathe.

Oregon Humane Society spokesperson David Lytle said these dogs were living in "one of the worst conditions I have ever seen." Three of the dogs were difficult to recover because they were hiding deep in a hole in the wall.

The dogs would be easily adopted to new homes after their health issues were addressed by a veterinarian.