A gruesome and heartbreaking discovery in Warren County Thursday. An anonymous tip led sheriff's officers to a rented barn off Winchester Road where they found an unlicensed puppy mill.

Sheriff's officers were immediately granted a search warrant. They were able to rescue 22 dogs but they also found a dead chihuahua inside.

Officers say the dogs were kept in dirty, inhumane conditions and were starved of food and sunlight. As for the man running the mill, sheriff's officers say this isn't his first run-in with the law.

Jane Johnson, Warren County Sheriff's Office, says, "It's been two years of just going up there and trying to get him to close it down. The zoning department has had him in court. He's been found guilty. He's actually on probation."

The surviving dogs were taken to the Warren County Humane Society where a veterinarian will examine each one.

On Friday, the sheriff's office got 23 warrants for 71-year-old Michael D. Smith of Linden, Virginia for alleged animal cruelty offenses. All of these counts are class one misdemeanors carrying up to one year in jail and up a $2,500 fine per count.

There were also 52 summonses issued because of lacked county tags and rabies vaccinations. Smith has turned himself in to the sheriff's office.