GAMALIEL, Ark. -- Representatives of the Humane Society of the United States are in northern Arkansas this week.  They’re trying to help volunteers with more than 450 dogs that legally have to stay for now at a shelter raided last Friday by Baxter County sheriff's deputies.

  Deputies raided the land owned by Tammy Hanson, after getting a tip about unsanitary conditions of the dogs, and flying over in a helicopter to check it out.  Prosecutors charged Hanson and her husband, William, with animal abuse and neglect.  The Hansons call their operation Every Dog Needs A Home Animal Rescue and Sanctuary.   They’re fighting to prevent removal of the animals as well as the criminal charges.

  Many of these animals are from the Gulf Coast region and animal rescue groups want to reunite them with their owners.  But they legally can't right now and they're worried about the animals’ health.

  “It's a dangerous situation for all the dogs because they're so wound up,” said Desiree Bender of Where Angels Run, an animal rescue group.

  The sheriff’s department and volunteers can't legally move the dogs, so organizations like the Humane Society are bringing in supplies to help them.  The property is in northeastern Baxter County, just south of the Missouri state line.

  “What really complicates this is we've got, out of 450 dogs we have here, we estimate we think, about half of those are actually from the relief effort of Hurricane Katrina.  And there are other issues as well,” said Sheriff John Montgomery.

  Some of the dogs are from closer places.

  “There's a dog up there with a Kansas City tag on it,” said Montgomery.

   The sheriff is already getting lots of calls about these dogs.

  “I'd say we're averaging 200 calls a day,” he said.

  Volunteers are just trying to do the best they can for these animals.  The Humane Society of the United States is helping out with supplies.

  “They need a few more hands scrubbing and cleaning and we're going to try and get a few more people,” said Tammy Hawley of the HSUS.

  “It's a never-ending process. It’s horrible they're not comfortable.  We're just trying to feed, water and keep them as clean as possible.”

  The sheriff says, once the legal authority is granted, the dogs will be reunited with owners, if possible, and the rest will go to shelters where they can be put up for adoption.  If you want to help the Humane Society of North Central Arkansas care for the dogs, you can call them at (870) 425-9221.