PHOENIX -- The Arizona Animal Welfare League offers a program to help pet owners in a bind.
The "Last Litter" program helps dog owners who have unexpected litters, sometimes referred to as an "oops" litter.
A litter of eight Boston Terrier Puggle mixes is the latest participant in the program.
"They're all named for the Cardinals football players. Floyd is running around here somewhere celebrating his catch from yesterday," said AAWL veterinarian Dr. Claudia Channing.
She says the litter was an accident. The owner of the dog that delivered brought in the pups as part of the AAWL's Last Litter program.
"What we will do if your dog becomes pregnant in an unexpected fashion, is you can contact us and we will take your puppies that are anywhere from eight-to-16-months old that are healthy, at no cost. We'll give you a voucher so you can go to Altered Tails - a local low-cost spay and neuter clinic, and you can have your animal altered," said Dr. Channing.
The goal is for everyone to win.
The puppies get good homes and the dog's owner gets a voucher to spay or neuter his or her animals, preventing future pregnancies and adding to the unwanted pet population.
"This is a really important program. We're part of the alliance working to decrease the euthanasia numbers in Maricopa County. And there are so many unwanted puppies and kittens, and this is a great way to prevent overpopulation and prevent this sort of thing from happening again," said Dr. Channing.
The puppies will be available for adoption at the AAWL Chandler mall location Tuesday.
For more information, visit the AAWL website.
