Dozens of dogs were rescued Tuesday from the backyard of a home in Lawndale in what’s being investigated as an animal cruelty case.

More than 40 animals were seized and taken into crates to be rescued Wednesday morning, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (spcaLA). The pets were taken from a home just a few blocks east of the 405 Freeway around 10 a.m.

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Lee Smith said he’s owned the property since 1980 and had it rented by a woman. He said the animals have been in the care of his housekeeper, who is in the business of breeding dogs.

“I just have a housekeeper that has a fixation on not fixing her dogs,” he said. “So, if you have non-fixed dogs and you start out with three or four, in a

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