Pedro Rivera.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — A Colquitt County man was arrested on animal cruelty charges after an anonymous tip led to the grisly weekend discovery of four apparently starved dogs and nine other emaciated animals.

The four dead dogs were found at the 639 Willow Drive residence after deputies were dispatched at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. The previous resident reportedly moved out, leaving a total of 13 dogs, said Sgt. Nathan Cato of the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office.

The dogs, including the four that were dead, were found inside and outside the residence, with one tied to a door.

The Humane Society of Moultrie and Colquitt County took custody of the nine living dogs.

“There was no food, and the only thing they had to drink was from puddles,” Cato said. “They had no food in the house, no water in the house. The living ones hadn’t eaten in a while.”

None of the dogs appeared to have been used for fighting and were friendly to their rescuers, he said.

Pedro Yamil Rivera, 29, was charged Saturday with four counts of aggravated animal cruelty. He previously had lived at the residence but had moved out, leaving the animals, Cato said.

The remaining dogs were receiving care at the Humane Society. If any of those dogs were to die, Rivera could face additional charges.

On Monday the dogs were doing OK at the Humane Society, said John Croft, senior animal control officer there.

The dogs were mostly mixed breeds, including two Labrador retriever-mix puppies about four or five months old, three that appeared to be bulldog-mix, he said. One appeared to be a German shepherd, and there was an apparent terrier-Chihuahua mix.

The three found inside were all alive. The other nine, five of which were alive, were outside, including one chained to a door.

Of those that had died, “three were on chains inside a dog house,” Croft said. “One body was at the edge of the wood (and) had a tarp and wood over it.”

With the exception of one dog, which had apparent pit-bull features and showed “some aggression,” all were friendly. There had been no previous calls to the residence while Rivera was living there, Croft said.

“We’re going to work on getting them up to weight and healthy, then on getting them new homes,” he said.