ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) — Nearly two dozen neglected dogs that were so malnourished they ate small tree branches to survive were removed from a Southern California home, authorities said.

The dogs — mostly Labrador retrievers and spaniel breeds ages 1 to 13 — were found Wednesday in "deplorable conditions" in Ontario, according to the Inland Valley Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The agency had received multiple complaints about conditions at the home, including from neighbors who said the odor was so strong it could be smelled from across the street, the Los...