A woman is facing animal cruelty charges after the Nova Scotia SPCA seized seven dogs in the Halifax area.

SPCA officers were responding to a call when they found five dogs in a parked minivan in Tantallon, N.S.

The malnourished dogs were being housed in small kennels inside the vehicle and were covered in their own urine and feces.

One of the dogs had died, while another had a broken leg.

The SPCA says the officers later discovered that the owner had three more dogs hidden in another location.

The dogs were seized and taken to the SPCA in Dartmouth, where they were assessed by a veterinarian.

The SPCA says several of the dogs had to be shaved down to the skin to remove mats.

Gloria Adel Martel is facing charges of failing to provide the dogs with an adequate source of water, confining the dogs to an area or enclosure with unsanitary conditions, and causing the animals to be in distress.