More than two dozen sick dogs purchased from Pennsylvania puppy mills were seized from a home in Gloucester County early yesterday during a raid of what authorities said was an illegal dog sales operation that netted $200,000 annually. Officers from the New Jersey State Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals executed warrants at 7:15 a.m. on a home in Franklinville in South Jersey, where they found 28 puppies crammed into cages in a basement closet, authorities said. "When I opened the closet, it was about 85 degrees in there. No ventilation. The dogs were covered in feces and sick. There were seven to a cage," said Lt Col. Sy Goldberg.

The puppies were taken to the Columbus Central Veterinary Hospital in Burlington County, where they are being examined and evaluated. The dogs were mostly mixed breeds, but also included poodles, Malteses, terriers and Shih Tzus, said Lynn Pasquarella, manager at the hospital.

The owner of the home, 57-year-old William C. Roberts, was charged with a fourth-degree criminal offense of willfully selling an animal with a communicable disease-a charge related to an undercover probe that led to yesterday morning's raid.

The NJSPCA said additional charges related to failing to properly care for the animals will be filed, and that federal and state agencies are being notified of other potential violations of animal, health and criminal laws. Lt Col.Goldberg said the society also uncovered evidence Roberts had illegally distributed medications that only veterinarians are licensed to provide.

"We sent undercover agents in three weeks ago to buy a dog from him. We began an investigation after people notified us that he was selling dogs that were sick, dogs he purchased in Lancaster," Goldberg said, referring to a Pennsylvania county notorious for its puppy mills.

Puppy mill dogs, bred en masse like livestock, often carry genetic disorders that shorten their lives or result in the animals becoming infirm and crippled. Many also have diseases that are easily spread to other animals. Knowingly selling sick dogs is illegal in New Jersey. But consumers often don't discover the pets are sick until it is too late and then have difficulty tracking down the private operators, according to New Jersey Consumers Against Pet Shop Abuse, an industry watchdog group. Libby Williams, president of the organization, said her group has been aware of Roberts for years and has pushed several government agencies to charge him with selling sick dogs.

"We heard about him five years ago, when people started to complain. What he would do is sell sick dogs, give people medication for the dogs or take the dogs back and eventually stop returning phone calls. But he would never return their money," Williams said. "The problem is he would never let you go to his home, so it was difficult to get grounds for investigations. He'd meet you at the Wawa or a supermarket or something," she said.

Roberts did not return calls placed to a cell-phone number he advertised in local newspapers. Roberts ran a cash-only business and, by not selling from his home, avoided laws that govern animal breeders and commercial pet shops, Goldberg said.

"He told us he sold about 40 dogs per month. We're not sure what he would pay for these dogs, but he sold them for $400 to $500 a piece and made about $200,000 a year doing it, and he's been at it since 2002," he said. Goldberg said Roberts would tell customers not to take sick puppies to veterinarians. Instead, Goldberg said, he would provide medication, and actually "popped a pill" in the mouth of the dog sold to NJSPCA agents.

The NJSPCA said the puppies seized yesterday were suffering from upper respiratory disorders, were infested with lice and fleas, had hookworm and many other disorders. Pasquarella said yesterday the puppies were being X-rayed for pneumonia and most had diarrhea.

It is not yet clear whether any of them will have to be put down.

Investigator Theresa Cooper from the NJSPCA put the case together based on complaints from five people who purchased dogs from Roberts, authorities said. Sgt. Jane Donoghue, also from the NJSPCA, then posed as a buyer, purchased a cockapoo from Roberts for $400 and had the dog inspected by a veterinarian, Goldberg said. "The dog we purchased was sick, carrying communicable diseases, which is the basis of the fourth-degree charge against Roberts," he said.

But building the case, he said, took time.

"This guy operated under the wire. He put out ads in different counties, with a phone number, and always insisted on meeting at the buyer's home or someplace else, never his own home. He basically sold these dogs out of his car," Goldberg said.

Authorities said the dogs seized yesterday were bought from two Lancaster, Pa., puppy mills. Anyone who may have purchased a dog from Roberts is being asked to contact Inv.T Cooper at 1- (800) 582-5979.

The NJSPCA is accepting donations to help the animals. Goldberg said donors can log on to the agency website at njspca.org or send a check made out to the NJSPCA and marked "for the care of the Franklinville puppies" to the NJSPCA at 1119 Livingston Ave New Brunswick, N.J. 88901