Polk County authorities are investigating after finding “one of the worst cruelty to animal cases we have ever seen” on Monday.

According to the Polk police department’s Facebook page, 60 to 70 dogs were located about 200 yards behind a house on Cash Town Road in Aragon, which is just north of Rockmart and about 50 miles east of Atlanta.

Most of the animals, which appeared to be bulldogs or a mixed breed, were malnourished and several were injured, police Chief Kenny Dodd said.

“These dogs are not vicious,” Dodd said while videotaping as he walked through the woods of the expansive property. “This breaks your heart.”

The dogs were tied up and scattered throughout the remote property. Some had shelter, some did not. Most had no food or water until the officers provided it Monday afternoon.

Dodd said his officers and those with animal control would be at the location all night guarding the animals. They plan to remove the dogs Tuesday.

He did not give specifics about the owner of the property or any potential charges. But he did say, “I wanted the public to see how these dogs were being treated.”

Dodd said he hopes they can find homes for all of the dogs.

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Protestors demonstrate against the war in Gaza and the detention of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil at Emory University in Atlanta on March 20, 2025. The 30-year-old legal U.S. resident was detained by federal immigration agents in March. An Atlanta-based law firm has filed a lawsuit against the federal government arguing it illegally terminated the immigration records of five international students and two alumni from Georgia colleges, including one from Emory University. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

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