LEWISTON – Hundreds of dogs seized from a suspected puppy mill soon will be put up for adoption by three animal shelters in Maine.

The animals include about 250 dogs – miniature Australian shepherds, Brussels griffons, bulldogs, shelties and other breeds – that were seized from the J’aime Kennel in Buxton in August. The dogs have since given birth to more than 100 puppies, which also are being put up for adoption.

The animals are being spayed and neutered and will be released for adoption over the next several weeks.

The animal shelters involved in the adoptions are the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk, the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook and the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society in Lewiston. Those three facilities have about 130 of the dogs among them, with the rest placed at a Portland facility leased by the state’s Animal Welfare Program.

The seizure of the dogs was the biggest and most expensive in state history, said Norma Worley, director of the Animal Welfare Program.

Kennel owners John and Heidi Frasca have been charged with cruelty to animals and failure to provide medical care.

While dozens of the dogs are spoken for, Worley said it will be difficult to find new homes for some of the animals because of physical and behavioral problems from their time in the kennel.

Worley believes it could take four to six weeks for all the dogs to find homes.