NEW PORTLAND -- Tacked to the door of one of two houses on Bennett Hill Road, off Route 27 in the west village of New Portland, are signs warning visitors to stay away.

"Anyone coming on this property will be arrested," one sign reads.

"Beware of dog" and "No trespassing" signs are nailed to doors and trees.

The house is vacant now, but debris and refuse still litter the porch and overgrown yard.

It was from that house, and another one across the road, that New Portland residents say state animal-welfare officials removed nearly four dozen abused and neglected dogs in mid-July.

The dogs reportedly were found living in cages, malnourished, matted with feces and afflicted with fleas, mange and worms, officials said at the time.

The dogs later were placed for recovery and adoption at three animal shelters in central Maine.

Norma Worley, the director of the State of Maine Animal Welfare Program, confirmed the raid in July and the seizure of the animals, but she declined to identify the owners or confirm the location.

Local residents Alison Thayer and Delia Tolman said the two houses on Bennett Hill, located near the West New Portland post office, are the ones where the animals were kept.

They said the stench of feces prompted their concerns and later led to the raid by state animal-welfare officials.

"What do you want to know? The place stinks," Tolman, who lives near the two homes, said Thursday. "There's an odor when you go by. I don't know if it's the animals or just plain dirt or a combination of both.

"Sometimes you go up there, it depends on how hot it is or if the wind is blowing, there's an awful smell up there. The outside is never kept up, it's always trashy-looking."

Tolman said, now, a month later, the place still smells.

Another house across the street is still occupied, State Veterinarian Christine Fraser of the State of Maine Animal Welfare Program said this week.

And there are more dogs and cats in that house that officials want removed, Fraser said.

She said officials are going slowly with the owner, a woman Fraser said is the daughter-in-law of the woman who lived across the street.

Attempts by a reporter Thursday to get the occupants to come out and tell their side of the story were unsuccessful.

"The case is still open; we're giving her a chance to correct those problems -- nobody has been charged, but it's certainly a possibility," Fraser said this week in a telephone interview. "We're having some difficulty -- we definitely have health concerns there.

"There's still more animals there than she can care for. We'll give them time and educate them, try to teach them, try to give them a chance to correct any wrongs."

Fraser said there are at least 15 dogs left in the house, along with an estimated five young puppies.

Alison Thayer, also a neighbor, said she called authorities about the smell coming from the houses in July, fearing the worst.

"We bike by there a lot and the odor just became so strong and so offensive that we knew something wasn't right," said Thayer, owner of Peak Performance gym in Kingfield. "To be honest, we thought it was human. I didn't ever think it was that many dogs. I thought it was human feces I was smelling."

Thayer said she notified authorities because of health concerns. She said the odor remains, but there are not as many dogs barking any more.

Fraser said 26 animals were "surrendered" from the house across the road the week of July 14, with another 20 taken from the daughter-in-law's home, bringing the total number to 46 animals that have already been taken from the two locations.

Fraser said state officials are trying to encourage the younger woman to surrender the rest of the animals, including several seemingly underfed cats seen Thursday roaming the front yard, picking though a garbage can.

She said the dogs that were seized from across the street were in bad shape, but none had to be euthanized.

"Many had been caged, confined, for so long they were crippled," Fraser said. "They had atrophied muscles.

"It's an unfortunate case. They're not intentionally being cruel, but neglect is a form of cruelty. We're trying to fix the problem without charging anybody."

Doug Harlow -- 474-9534, Ext. 342

dharlow@centralmaine.com