That is really saddening, I think that lady was evil to do so such a thing. At least she is where she belongs now, hopefully being treated no better than how she treated those dogs.
if you read the article it says she was ill - it sounds to me like she had a mental illness, and although I don't condone her actions, I think it is unforgivable that she wasn't treated the first time it happened, and that the authorities allowed it to happen again.
It sounds as if their property was 20 miles from the nearest town. They lived in the boonies. I'm guessing nobody even realized it was going on. I read of another case today where a woman had 60 cats in her home.