LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — For different reasons, pets end up at Blue Chip Animal Refuge near Dallas, but all of the puppies have one thing in common: Their mothers came to the shelter pregnant since they were never fixed.
"It's irresponsible to not fix your animals," Emma Ripka said. "As a pet owner, there are so many that come into our care as strays, and 90% of them are not fixed."
Staff members say that in the last month, dogs in their care have given birth to seven litters of puppies, for a total of 41 extra animals to care for.
"It's really hard for us when an animal comes to us and ends up giving birth that we didn't know was pregnant because we have to rearrange basically the whole shelter to make it fit, and we have to dip into so many resources for help. We have to also try to find foster homes," Ripka said.
The shelter has been at maximum capacity for months. The extra puppies add more stress on staff to make sure the new arrivals are taken care of.
Staff members tell Newswatch 16 they are thankful each litter is with a foster family.
"Puppies eat a lot more. They need more vaccines to help prevent them from catching anything. They need around-the-clock cleanup, and they are just a lot more work in general because they are still learning how to do everything."
Litter after litter, workers say they are begging pet owners to do their part in curbing the population of cats and dogs.
"It's 2024. There are so many options to have low-cost spay and neuter done. There is so much education out there, so really at this point, there is really no excuse to not have your pet spayed or neutered. If you can't do it, you can't get the pet," Ripka said.
The puppies are not yet old enough to go home, so they are in the care of foster families. Blue Chip says once they are ready for adoption, people can get updates on Facebook.
RELATED: Pet Adoption Resources