DALLAS — After nearly 40 dogs were rescued from a Lackawanna County home, a Luzerne County shelter agreed to step in to help.
And now the shelter could use some assistance to get the pups the veterinary help they need.
According to the Times Leader’s news-gathering partner FOX 56, a total of 37 dogs were removed from a South Abington Township home after being found in filthy conditions last week after investigators responded to reports of a gas leak. It became clear that investigators were dealing with an animal hoarding situation, officials said.
Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge, a no-kill animal shelter based in Dallas, took 10 of the dogs after a majority of the dogs went to the Lackawanna County-based Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.
According to senior volunteer Emma Ripka, the dogs taken in by Blue Chip Farm are already doing better, but they’ll need lots of help.
Ripka said that the dogs appear to all be Lhasa Apsos, leading the shelters to believe there was a breeding pair that just kept having puppies.
According to Ripka, Lhasa Apsos as a breed are especially prone to dental issues, which only get worse if not taken care of. And the 10 pups they took in are no exception, with Ripka adding that most need to have extensive dental surgery. Additionally, the dogs had to be shaved to get rid of fleas. Some of the nearly 40 dogs were even missing eyes, but Ripka said that the ones taken in by Blue Chip Farm were in a slightly better shape.
“Our biggest thing is monetary donations,” Ripka said. “These guys will have hefty vet bills.”
Ripka estimated that each of the dogs will likely require more than $1,000 worth of medical care, something that would not be covered by Blue Chip Farm’s adoption fees for dogs. Ripka said she’s hoping that those who are interested in doing so go to the shelter’s website, www.bcfanimalrefuge.org, to make a donation.
She said that, after the shelter posted on its Facebook page that it had taken in the dogs, there were fairly quickly more than 100 adoption applications, so once they’re healthy, they’ll be headed to a good home. Two of the older dogs have already been moved into foster homes to help them recover.
It will likely be some time before the dogs are adoptable.