A man who recently adopted a puppy that was later learned to have come from a puppy mill says that he knew that something felt off about the situation.

"I can't explain the smell, but it was the worst smell you could imagine," says Matt Hage.

Hage and his girlfriend found a website advertising Boykin puppies from an organization called Crazy Rescue Ladies. The organization was run by Michele Nycz and Amie Lonczak, who are now facing animal cruelty and child endangerment charges.

Hage says that he met with Nycz at a Pet Smart in Brick Township on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to get the puppy. He says that he knew something was wrong right away.

“When Pixie finally came out of the crate, she had dried feces on her. When I commented on the smell and the feces, [Nycz] picked her up and started removing with her bare hands, pulling the poop off of her, saying, ‘Oh she must have gone in the crate on the way over here,’” Hage says.

But police removed 180 dogs and cats rom the Brick Township home one week later.

“I have seen 150-160 of the animals. They were all very engaging. There were some that obviously needed medical care off site for vet care, but they are all very engaging. I think over the next couple of weeks they're going to clean up really well,” says Dan Regenye, of the Ocean County Health Department.

Hage says that he is happy that he adopted one of the dogs so that she was no longer in that situation.

"We sat down in the car, exhaled and I said we just we just saved this dog from that rescue because we knew it was bad," says Hage.

The rescued animals are all in Ocean County shelters. Donations from the public fill the lobby and halls of one shelter in Jackson. It will be some time before the animals are ready for adoption.

Hage’s puppy now has a new name.

"Her name was Pixie when we adopted her. Her new name is Morada…named after Islamorada in the Florida Keys,” he says.

Hage says that Crazy Rescue Ladies initially provided him with photos of vaccination and rabies paperwork, which he says were falsified. He says that his vet gave his puppy a clean bill of health. They will return next week to get the proper shots.

Anyone who wishes to donate money for the rescued animals can do so by writing a check payable to the Ocean County Health Department. They should put "Brick hoarding" or "animal trust fund" on the memo line.