Animal welfare officers discovered 20 neglected dogs during a raid at a house in Fife.
The pets were kept in “horrendous living conditions” according to police, who were called to the property near St Andrews.
The Scottish SPCA removed the dogs and an investigation has been launched.
It is understood an elderly woman lived at the property where the dogs were found.
Police used a Twitter account to announce the discovery of the dogs but the tweet was later removed.
It stated: “Call today where PS Matt and PC Lee, along with our Scottish SPCA colleagues attended a house near St Andrews due to concerns re conditions.
“After four hours, 20 dogs taken to safety, due to horrendous living conditions.”
Scottish SPCA inspector Sarah Gregory said: “We can confirm we attended a property outside St Andrews to remove multiple dogs due to welfare concerns.
“This is an ongoing investigation so we are unable to comment further.”
St Andrews councillor Ann Verner said: “Animal neglect must be taken seriously and I am very grateful to local police officers and the Scottish SSPCA for their intervention in this incident.”
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