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The crushing cost of caring for animals

Taking care of animals comes with a high price tag.

DALLAS, Pa. — There's a growing number of animals taking shelter at Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge near Dallas.

A room that used to be reserved for overflow "is now pretty much mostly full all the time," as volunteer Cindy Charnetski says.

"Each day we get more and more we get all ages, all breeds, all sizes."

More animals mean more expenses.

"Every year, we have about a quarter of a million dollars' worth of vet bills. So the animals that come in, they get spayed and neutered, they get their vaccinations. Some of them require medication," explains volunteer Lisa Fuller.

This nonprofit relies heavily on donations. Its biggest fundraiser of the year was born out of the pandemic when the shelter wasn't able to hold any of its traditional fundraising events.

"So we started asking local individuals and businesses for donations to raffle off," Charnetski says. "And the prizes we started getting were fantastic, and it just grew and grew."

"It's actually been our best fundraiser yet. So we only have a couple hundred tickets left. So honestly, if people want them, it's really important to start getting them in now. We'll have some more fundraisers throughout the summer. But this is our biggest one," Fuller says.

A ticket to enter the raffle costs $10. There are 86 prizes, all donated by local businesses or individuals. Every penny raised goes directly to taking care of the animals.

The last day to buy tickets is Thursday; the drawing is on Sunday.

For more details on the raffle, click here. For more information on how to get tickets, click here.

See more pets and animal stories on WNEP’s YouTube playlist.  

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