Two women were sentenced to prison after police found 129 dogs and 43 cats in their New Jersey home, the Ocean County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Michele Nycz, 60, and Aimee Lonczak, 51, were sentenced to 364 days in the Ocean County Jail and four years’ probation. Both were also banned for life from owning or working with animals.

The convictions of Nycz and Lonczak came after both pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty as part of an investigation that began in 2022.

According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer, Brick Township police were called to a residence on Arrowhead Park Drive on December 2, 2022, after receiving an anonymous complaint that the residents of the home were operating a puppy mill.

According to the investigation, while officers were speaking with residents Lonczak and Nycz in the driveway, they noticed a strong odor coming from the house and heard barking.

After officers were allowed to enter the house, they again noticed an intense odor and unsanitary conditions. They also reportedly saw dogs and cats stacked on top of each other in crates.

Due to the poor condition, the police had to leave the house and called a hazardous materials team, which subsequently removed about 129 dogs and 43 cats as well as the bodies of two dead dogs.

The two women, who live in the house with Lonczak’s 16-year-old child, were subsequently taken into custody and pleaded guilty.

Lonczak was also sentenced to 364 days in prison after pleading guilty to child neglect as part of the same investigation. The sentences will be served concurrently.