Dearborn made world news Thursday, this time related to a 56-year-old man who kept some 103 dogs — mostly Chihuahuas — in a home that from the outside looked generally well kept but inside was filled with feces and trash, Dearborn officials said. The story has been picked up by media outlets as far away as New Zealand.

Crews remove some of the nearly 100 dogs Thursday in this AP picture.

Dearborn city workers, along with Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter, removed 42 ailing and feces-covered dogs from the home on the 7800 block of Orchard Wednesday. They then returned Thursday and found about 60 more dogs.

The Detroit News reported that the home  belonged to Kenneth Lang Sr., who currently resides in Florida. Officials say a 56-year-old man, Kenneth Lang Jr. lives alone in the home. Neighbors told The News he was known to mow lawns meticulously and was protective of his home, trying to keep children off his property.

Lang was taken to a local hospital for observation. His family was involved in his care and cooperating with officials.

According to the Associated Press, the man’s sister told officials that she believed he initially had two dogs in the home and that they may have reproduced, said Nick Siroskey, director of residential services for Dearborn. Misdemeanor animal cruelty charges were possible, but Siroskey said the man appears to have mental health issues that could be a factor in the case.

Neighbors and investigators said the smell of urine, noticeable from the street Thursday, may have been contained previously because windows were closed and covered.

“There was a little bit of a smell, but it was just like a … person that doesn’t keep their house up,” Abe Baydoun told an AP writer. “He didn’t take care of himself, personally, but he took care of the outside of his house.”

Baydoun, 25, lives across the street and said he only had seen two of the man’s dogs outside.

The dogs, which were being examined at the animal shelter, appear to have been unattended and were in various stages of health.

Crews pulled bags full of trash from the home to clear pathways inside. The house was deemed unfit for human habitation and the city likely will seek to tear it down, Siroskey said.

On Friday, Siroskey said police were called to the home by a neighbor who spotted some kittens in a hole in the backyard, and the officer who responded reported that it seemed like there were many dogs inside. Animal control authorities got the case and, after obtaining a warrant, investigators went inside Wednesday.

With such a sudden influx of dogs, the Dearborn Animal Shelter will be needing our assistance. Those wanting to donate funds can contact the shelter by clicking HERE. or sending checks to the shelter at 2661 Greenfield Road, Dearborn, MI 48120.