EPPING, N.H. (AP) - An Epping woman faces nearly three dozen charges of animal cruelty over allegations she kept 19 dogs crowded in crates in a hot upstairs bedroom.

An anonymous call to police sent authorities to the home of 50-year-old Wanda Wallace last week.

Steve Sprowl, animal cruelty investigator for the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said Wallace was keeping the miniature greyhounds in a hot bedroom, some two or three to a crate. Wallace faces 34 charges.

"It was not a good situation," Sprowl said. "There should have only been one dog per crate," he said.

Sprowl said Wallace was watching the dogs for her sister, a breeder who sells the dogs in the Internet.

"The sister was trying to tell us these were just family pets, but then we found the Web site that stated she was selling them up here in New Hampshire," Sprowl said.

The dogs, about the size of toy poodles, were seized by police and examined by a veterinarian, who found them to be underweight.

"Their ribs and hip bones were sticking out. There were just too many for the size of the room, and she wasn't taking good care of them," Sprowl said.

"I don't think she meant to do anything wrong. She just got in over her head," said Epping Animal Control Officer William Hansen.

A few dogs living in an outside kennel were not seized.

Authorities said they would like to see Wallace surrender custody of the dogs, so they can be adopted.

"We're hoping she'll see the light of day and surrender them to the SPCA so we can get them to good homes," Sprowl said.

"In the meantime, they are evidence in an animal cruelty case and will be kept at the expense of the owner, who also has to pay the medical fees and daily boarding. That could run into thousands of dollars pretty quickly," he said.

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Information from: New Hampshire Union Leader, http://www.unionleader.com

AP-ES-06-28-07 1218EDT