On Friday, the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office executed a warrant in the county after a local rescue group had made a heartbreaking discovery.

With the assistance of the animal advocates Pitiful Paws and veterinarians on hand, deputies removed 67 beagles from a seller’s property.

One dog that had been obtained by the rescue group beforehand did not survive.

This all came about after Pitiful Paws was notified of a dog in need of rescue and the group investigated the seller.

Advocates say the dogs that were rescued are in need of medical attention and care as a result of what they said was a hostile environment.

The photos from this story are hard to look at and one wonders how anyone could allow such a situation to develop. We are grateful that the group was notified and able to act on the situation, as well as the sheriff’s office, which used its authority to remove the animals from harm’s way.

Now that the dogs are in safe hands, we encourage anyone who can to make a donation to their care through the contacts provided in our front page story, which include both PayPal and postal mail options.

One person’s tip made all the difference in this story. There are many groups in the region who act for animal welfare and, if you see a similar situation, do not hesitate to report it.