Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Add Genesee County to the list of places where Devoted Barn owner Melissa Borden faces animal cruelty charges.

A former volunteer, along with the Humane Society, led sheriff's investigators to a property in Grand Blanc earlier this year, where they found dozens of crated dogs living in filthy conditions.

"There's a number of conditions that are not adequate enough for a dog, even like temperature. There's a certain mean temperature that needs to be maintained for dogs in outside storage. But conditions were not provided for in a way to care for them properly," Sheriff Chris Swanson told WNEM television.

"If you have multiple animals and you can't afford food, or you're not out there because you're scheduled to give them clean water, especially in the winter time. Or, if you have no shelter. Have some guts and responsibility to go find help."

The 50-year-old Borden faces similar animal cruelty charges in both Livingston and Monroe counties.

"Melissa Border had left a trail of destruction in two other counties before they came to Genesee County," Sheriff Swanson added. "People like this, that have no business being in the animal care industry, can go from one county to the next to the next, and almost shop their geography. That's what happened here."

Animal control is working to get care for the animals now that criminal charges have been filed.

According to the complaint filed by the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office, if found guilty, Borden could face up to seven years in prison and may be ordered to not own or possess an animal in the future.

A post on the Devoted Barn’s Facebook said in part, "everything about our program is structured around being predictable and stress free for our dogs."

A later post went on to say "While we believe the Sheriff acted in his capacity out of concern for the animals, we know that the information he has received daily, is from those who seek to destroy Mel. It’s personal & is absolutely not for the true benefit of the animals.

We support law enforcement & animal control. We always have! Yet, those who do not, or no longer see the benefit of our rescue, continue to spread false information."