A man accused of gross mistreatment while training 40 dogs turned himself in to officials Thursday.Pottawattamie County animal control officers and sheriff's deputies began investigating on May 6 after a judge issued a search warrant for suspected animal neglect.Authorities took 36 surviving dogs from Young's property, several of which were malnourished. They found four dead dogs.Young, 35, is charged with four counts of animal neglect leading to death. Each count carries a maximum of one year in jail and a fine of $1,875.He also faces 36 counts of animal neglect with no injury caused by negligence, a $625 maximum fine and/or 30 days in jail for each count.Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said he believes the crimes warrant a felony, but he doesn't have that option."Iowa unfortunately has some of the weakest animal abuse and neglect laws in the country," Wilber said.Young is not allowed to have any contact with animals the judge said.Officials said Young was a dog breeder and trainer. He ran his business from his home near 450th Street and Lombardy Road in Hancock, Iowa.Young traveled to a dog competition in Colorado in early May, where he was supposed to exchange property with two individuals, according to court documents. The trade did not take place at the competition and they called Young to follow up.The two, along with Young's brother, went to Young's home and saw several dogs locked in an aluminum trailer in the driveway.While on his property, they stepped on a garbage bag that had a decaying dog inside, and they called 911.Dogs were found covered in urine and feces barking inside the trailer, officials said.Three dogs were found in a garage outbuilding and appeared ill, with no food or water.Authorities saw three plastic swimming pools that had a mother and litter of pups inside each one, also without food or water.Officers found two dead dogs in garbage bags in a storage area of the aluminum trailer, one inside a plastic kennel covered with a tarp and another in a freezer.Several of the dogs were returned to their owners.Young’s preliminary hearing is July 10.Pottawattamie County has filed a civil disposition for each surviving animal, asking the court to decide who gets the dogs: Young or the owners."If the dogs have a home to go to, let's get them home. If the dogs don't have a home, let's get that hearing and we can get them adopted out," Wilber said.Some of the 36 surviving dogs have been returned to their owners. The rest are at Midlands Humane Society.