NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Police and Animal Control officers found four dead dogs and two living dogs in a north Nashville home Monday afternoon.

Video: Animal Control Finds 6 Emaciated Dogs At Home

After getting a tip, Animal Control officers expected to find one neglected animal at the house, but authorities discovered four dead dogs still on their chains in the back yard of a house on Willis Street. Two other dogs were still alive, but may be very sick.

"They were emaciated. I mean, they (weren't) fed," said Billy Biggs of Animal Control Services. "This is a crime. I mean, they starved to death. You know, they died back there with nobody caring, in the mud and in the muck back there."

Metro Animal Control said when they spoke to the woman who lives there on the phone Monday, she told them she was a single mother who had lost her job and could no longer afford to feed the animals.

"If you can't take care of them, can't afford them, you know, you need to call somebody that can take animals in," Biggs said.

Officers said the dog's owner, Colin Townsend, has been cited for animal cruelty or neglect eight times before.

Police said she refused to meet them at the home Monday, because she feared being taken into custody.

A warrant has been issued for her arrest. Animal Control said Townsend faces felony animal cruelty charges.

"We just see it too much," Biggs said.

Biggs said serious animal neglect cases have become an everyday problem in Nashville. He said a rough economy is never a good excuse, and leaving an animal to die will always be a crime.