In recent weeks, Constantino has taken in multiple huskies to his kennel in the town of Harmony, two adults and five puppies that one of the adults gave birth to since he took her in. The one kennel he had he has had to convert into two to accommodate.

“This is a problem that we’ve been seeing since Covid,” Constantino said. “Everything was shut down and people were at home so they started getting pets, and since then people have not been able to take care of them or think it is OK to let their dogs roam. Someone will pick them up on the side of the road and bring them somewhere because they want to help them, and that’s how I got these dogs.”

The dog who is the mother of the puppies he said he was called to come and get and the other adult husky was seen multiple times up on a hill and some people thought it lived there before it was discovered she did not and Constantino came and got her.

The puppies, he added, he believes to be a mix of some sort, possibly with an Australian Shepherd. With Constantino’s kennel now full with the huskies, he said he is in a similar situation to many others.

The mother dog takes care of her puppies inside Constantino’s kennel, which is now full. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

“People need to be more diligent with their dogs,” Constantino said. “These guys deserve better. They’re lucky they had a place for them to go right now. People need to be more responsible with their animals and if they can’t take care of them they need to find somewhere for them to go rather than letting them run. They deserve better and they can’t do better on their own but we can do better for them.”

Constantino also emphasized the importance of getting dogs licensed, saying that it is easier to find owners of lost dogs if they have tags and they can find the right person to call.

While the problem continues, Constantino said he is confident the puppies will find homes but it may take longer for the two adults, who he also wonders might be related as they get along great. The puppies are currently six weeks old and are set to get their vaccinations and worm medications next week.

In the town of Harmony Constantino said they would like to find some permanent shelter to have for the dogs but have been unable to find someone able to do something like that.

“Every town has the same issue,” Constantino said. “Some have the ability to send dogs to the Humane Society and the great people that work there, but they are full as well. This is a problem, and this is just the dogs. There’s a ton of feral cats out there too.”

The husky puppies were born after the mother was rescued by Constantino and gave birth.

Constantino expressed his wish that instead of having multiple little shelters all over the state that face difficulties like this that are sometimes made harder by the state, the state should have one large animal rescue that is run by the state to help solve problems such as this.

“I wish there was an answer but it would be nice to have a big facility to hold the dogs instead of a bunch of little ones all over,” Constantino said.

While some of the husky puppies are already spoken for, Constantino encouraged anyone interested in adopting one of the others or for more information on them to reach out to him at (716)720-0013.

Pictured are two of the husky puppies currently taken in by Harmony Dog Catcher Aaron Constantino. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse