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GREEN VALLEY, AZ -- Investigators from the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the Pima Animal Care Center, operating on an anonymous tip, have arrested a Green Valley resident for the cruel abandonment of 23 dogs.

Raymond Quintero, 34, was cited by PACC for failure to provide appropriate food and water to his dogs. Officials state that the charges are expected to be upgraded to the felony level. Investigators say Quintero abandoned the animals almost two weeks ago, without providing them with food or water.

Pima Animal Care Center tells News4 19 dogs have been euthanized because of aggression issues. PACC says the remaining four may be candidates for adoption or go to rescue organizations, pending medical tests.

"A lot of them are very thin, so we're trying to build them up, and get them treatment, and we're going to assess them and see how they go from here," Jayne Cundy with the Pima Animal Care Center said. "The food that you saw them eating is there second round of breakfast today. They're just devouring their food right now. They are underweight."

Officials say the dogs have a variety of other health problems including infections, bad teeth and untreated injuries. The dogs are poorly socialized and based on some of their injuries may have been attacking each other.

Quintero claims he left food for the dogs a week ago.

"We've been through a lot together me and my dogs, and we were going to make it," Quintero said.

He also said he does not believe the dogs should have been euthenized.

"I think that's messed up," Quintero said. "They go out and they take the dogs and they say they're going to put them to sleep because they're aggressive. I mean, some dogs are aggressive. I don't think that's right at all what they did."

"I would even go without paying my mortgage for a month just so that," Quintero said. "The dogs always came first."

Individuals who are concerned that animals may have been cruelly abandoned are encouraged to call PACC at (520) 243-5900 or 911. 88-CRIME, an anonymous reporting line operated through the Pima County Attorney's Office, will also accept any tips related to animal cruelty issues. 88-CRIME can be reached at (520) 882-7463 or www.88crime.org. No phone calls are recorded or traced.

The Animal Cruelty Taskforce also maintains an automated reporting line at (520) 547-0260.

Additional information on reporting animal cruelty and the laws that protect animals is available online at www.act-az.org.