Some of the puppies have been abandoned, others have been confiscated by the ranger, and some have been handed in by people who don’t want them.

Vet nurse Tash Rankin, who fosters a lot of rescue pets, says the dog you get will be healthy.

“We check them over, desex them, micro-chip them and try to find homes for them.  Our adoption fee is $500 flat,” she said.

Some of the pups have come from pretty awful situations and Wauchope Vets try to make sure they get responsible pet-owners so that those patterns aren’t repeated.

Last weekend, the ranger heard about a litter of puppies being ill-treated and went to a property and seized them.  There had been nine, and seven had died.

Tash picked up the remaining two last Saturday, and one died that night.  The other one, who survived, was covered in fleas and riddled with worms, which had killed the rest of the litter, and was almost dead. 

His veins were tiny and kept collapsing and although they see some shocking sights, everyone in the practice was horrified by his condition.

“It makes me to angry because fleas and worms are such simple things to prevent,” said Tash.

“Keeping dogs healthy and free of parasites is not expensive.  Be responsible and do what’s right for the pet.”

“We called the pup Mira, because he is a miracle, and we gave him a blood transfusion and he is doing well.  He is eating and looking better,” she said.

Generally at the end of the breeding season, things can get bad with a lot of abandoned pups or pregnant dogs, but this year is particularly bad.

Tash says that if people are really struggling, they should surrender their animals early, or get them desexed so they don’t end up with unwanted puppies.

Wauchope Vets have four litters of puppies – 27 in total – plus two mother dogs.  All but one litter is ready to go.

Tash says that if families are thinking of getting a puppy, this is a good time to adopt one, because they will have a bit more time during the school holidays.

The practice doesn’t give puppies and kittens away because they need to be sure the animals will be looked after.  They get a lot of pregnant dogs from the pound.

Tash, who has two dogs of her own, tries to foster no more than 10 others at a time until they are re-homed.  At the moment, she has 15 at home, and another 12 in foster homes.

Right now, the pups they have are staffies, border collie cross kelpies, mini foxies and English pointer cross bull arabs, plus Mira, whose mother was a husky ridgeback, father unknown.

They will also have some labradors and boxer crosses coming in next week. The practice generally has a huge variety.

Sometimes the dogs they have rehomed come back to see them, like Minnie, the staffy cross Maltese dog (pictured above) who is now a very lucky and loved pet.

If you want to adopt a rescue dog or puppy, phone Tash on 0432 964 378 or ring Wauchope Vets on 6585 1626.  You can see more on the Wauchope Vets Facebook page.