More than 20 dogs were found Thursday abandoned in a home by their owners, according to authorities in Mission.

The Mission Police Department is investigating the incident as an animal cruelty case.

Officers first responded to a report of a dog chasing people. When they arrived, police followed the dog to a home and found more than 20 dogs, including newborn puppies, on the property located on the 800 block of Erma Avenue.

The property owner told Channel 5 News the tenants had recently been evicted and left the dogs behind when they moved out.

Officials say many of the animals were found hiding underneath the home. Many of the dogs were underweight and needed medical care.

"In the front of the house there were some steps, and we noticed three black chihuahua dogs, and we also noticed a scruffy one, and we got near and we noticed there were babies," Mission Animal Welfare Services Manager Juliana Martinez Cano said.

Two puppies did not survive.

So far, 17 dogs have been rescued. Some of the mother dogs and their puppies have already been taken in by rescue organizations.

"We don't know how long these animals were left out there; we just know the animals were very thin. They had fleas," Martinez Cano said. "One of the dogs was very matted, but the main thing is they were underweight."

As of Thursday evening, crews were continuing to use traps to rescue several dogs they believe are still on the property. Officials say some of the dogs lunge at people, making them difficult to catch.

Neighbor Maribel Delgado has lived across the street on from the home for more than two decades. She said she often heard dogs barking from the property but had no idea how many were there.

"You could hear them barking and barking lots of little dogs," Delgado said. “I really didn't expect there to be so many. I had no idea. Why would you leave them?”

Mission Animal Welfare Services says it is working with police on the case. The previous tenants could face animal cruelty charges.

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