MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thanks to a concerned neighbor, two dogs locked up in a boarded-up house in Raleigh were rescued by Memphis Police and animal control officers Thursday.

Tearis Pope said Wednesday he heard two dogs barking near his home on Cedar Springs Drive and realized they were inside a vacant house with boards over the windows.

“I was banging on the boards making them bark,” Pope said.

Pope contacted WREG, and we contacted Memphis Police.

[protected-iframe id=”b4833bde439d54d78738e7704312e701-29519520-149092669″ info=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmelissamoonwreg3%2Fvideos%2F352303938805160%2F&show_text=0&width=560″ width=”560″ height=”315″ frameborder=”0″ style=”border: none; overflow: hidden;” scrolling=”no”]

Once officers got to the house Thursday morning and heard the barking dogs, they called in animal control officers.

Neighbors watched as officers went into the house and brought out two pit bulls.

“This is lovely right here. They are some nice dogs, and they shouldn’t be treated like that,” Pope said.

Neighbors said they had seen some men periodically go into the house with dog food, but no one had been there in at least one week.

We saw where someone broke a window to get inside and illegally hooked up power to the house.

Animal control officers said the two pit bulls were found in different rooms that were uncomfortably warm.

It appeared someone had been feeding the dogs, but their food and water bowls were empty, and the dogs were slightly underweight.

Pope said he will sleep better knowing someone is caring for the animals.

“I feel good knowing they are safe,” Pope said.

Animal control officers said the dogs were friendly when officers approached them. The dogs are now at Memphis Animal Services.