CENTERVILLE, Tenn. -- The trial of Hickman County woman charged with hoarding hundreds of animals at her home began Wednesday.

Video: Ex-Workers Testify In Animal Hoarding Trial

Patricia Adkisson is accused of unlawfully transporting dogs or cats and giving rabies shots without proper certification in 2008.

Authorities seized 700 animals from Adkisson's property last year. Many were in poor health and living in what investigators called "deplorable" conditions.

On Wednesday, two women who worked at the facility took the stand in a Hickman County court. One of those women testified she also contacted authorities after finding two dead dogs and terrible conditions.

Lisa Osborne worked at Pine Bluff Kennels for about a year and a half. She said there were animals walking around in feces.

Another employee, Jessica Mills, said she and Osborne were hired by Adkisson to feed and care fore more than 650 dogs. Mills said she was responsible for about 400 to 500 dogs on a part of the property known as The Hill.

In court, Mills showed photographs she took last spring, showing feces lining the cages and skinny dogs.

Osborne was in charge of the section known as the Dog Trailer, which was where the mother dogs and their puppies were kept. Osborne said she was dismissed from the job for a while, but when she returned, she found two dead dogs due to the filthy conditions. She testified Adkisson was in charge of the dog trailer while she was gone.

"I thought she would take better care of them than that," said Osborne.

Adkisson's attorney cross-examined the state's witnesses asking if his client provided them with the tools to do their jobs. Both witnesses testified that Adkisson provided them with between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds of dog food each week.

One of the veterinarians who arrived on the property to examine the animals testified they weren't properly cared for.

Adkisson was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation in August. Based on the results, a judge ruled she could stand trial.

This isn't the first time Adkisson has been on trial for animal cruelty. She was convicted in 2000 and given probation and a $3,000 fine. That conviction was overturned.