Athens police have arrested two individuals on charges of animal cruelty and neglect in connection with an alleged “large-scale dog breeding operation” after officers discovered “numerous dogs living in squalid conditions” at a local residence.

The two suspects, whose names have not been made public, were taken into custody after the Athens Police Department executed a search warrant on March 31 in response to “a call about an odor emanating from a residence,” according to a statement issued by the city.

The two suspects — one a 75 year-old male; the other a 73 year-old female — each faces 38 misdemeanor counts “related to animal cruelty and neglect,” the release stated. Bond for each suspect has been set, said city officials, at $38,000.

The warrant was executed following a “comprehensive investigation” by APD into allegations of a local “large-scale dog breeding operation for an extended period of time” at an address on Lindsay Lane.

“Officer Paul Tucker responded to the initial call, finding numerous dogs living in squalid conditions without access to proper veterinary care,” city officials said in the statement. “With assistance from Dr. Elisabeth O’Connor and Dr. Jorge Acosta at the Limestone Veterinary Clinic, APD was able to successfully remove the dogs from the residence.”

According to Dr. O’Connor, the rescued animals will not be ready for adoption until next week. There is a process to fill out an adoption application online at www.alanimalservices.com.

“This was a terrible situation that we do not tolerate here in our community,” Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks said in a prepared statement. “We took immediate steps to remedy this situation. We are so proud of the work that has been done by both the Athens Police Department and the Limestone Veterinary Clinic here in Athens.”

In his prepared remarks, Athens Police Chief Anthony Pressnell described the site of the rescue as affording “very bad … conditions for these animals to live in. The Athens Police Department is committed to protecting all of the members of our community — including animals. This was a very bad situation, and we will continue to work to ensure that those responsible for any kind of animal abuse are held accountable.”