A Conway woman is accused of failing to provide proper care and treatment of animals after police seized 146 dogs from her.

Horry County police cited Renee James, 49, Thursday for animal cruelty and gave her a $445 ticket, according to a police report.

Police shut down a puppy mill Wednesday morning, seizing mostly adult dogs that were living in deplorable conditions, Horry County Police Lt. Raul Denis said.

Officers received a tip Wednesday morning about a person who had been breeding a large number of animals and they went to investigate the incident, Denis said. Officers took possession of the animals from the home, which was located in the 6000 block of Secondary Highway 65, which is between U.S. 701 North and S.C. 22.

It took police about five hours to collect all the animals, Denis said.

“The animals were kept in small cages, and numerous animals where sharing cages which had not been cleaned in a very long time,” Denis said.

James was cited under Horry County Ordinance 4-3 for failure to provide proper care and treatment of animals. She is scheduled to appear in court on March 18, Denis said.

Most of the seized dogs were adult mating pairs, but a few dogs were pregnant and some puppies were found as well, Denis said.

James does not have any other criminal charges, according to jail records and the Horry County Public Index. In the public index she is listed as a defendant in a 2007 suit against Pet Safari, a pet store at 1807 Parkview Road in Conway. Pet Safari was ordered to pay$345 to two plaintiffs, according to court records.

Denis said donations of food, beds, laundry detergent, and money are always accepted at the Horry County Animal Care Center. To learn how to help, contact the shelter at 915-5172 or visit http://www.horrycounty.org/Departments/AnimalCareCenter.aspx.

All the dogs will be cleaned, given vaccinations, heartworm tests, and spayed or neutered before they are put up for adoption. When the dogs are available for adoption they will be listed on the center’s website at http://www.horrycounty.org/Departments/AnimalCareCenter/AdoptablePets.aspx.

Denis said shelter staff need a few days to process the animals before they are ready for adoption.