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<p>DALLAS TWP. &#8212; They help helpless victims of circumstance.</p><p>Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge is a non-profit 30-acre animal shelter where animals of all types can find a safe haven from what can be a very cruel world.</p><p>It&#8217;s a place where no animal is too old or too unwanted to find a warm bed, good food and most of all, love.</p><p>The above lines are taken right from the Blue Chip website but I couldn&#8217;t have said them better.</p><p>There are two types of people in this world &#8212; animal lovers and non-animal lovers. Sometimes, those non-animal lovers become abusive and betray the unconditional love of their dependent pets.</p><p>I&#8217;ve always had a cat as a pet because cats can be left alone while I&#8217;m at work. They use the litter box and they eat when they feel like it. My cat, Lily, will be 17 in November. She&#8217;s all white. And she&#8217;s a typical cat &#8212; with her own personality.</p><p>Dogs are different. If I could spend the necessary amount of time with a dog, I would have one. They truly are your best friend.</p><p>My neighbor had a little Bichon Frise named Becky. To understate our relationship, Becky and I became quite attached to each other. She spent many days and nights with me and we grew very close. She also bonded with Lily, who doesn&#8217;t often bond with anybody.</p><p>Becky was 13 when she died and I&#8217;ve missed her every day since. I miss her zest for life, her unconditional love and her playfulness. I feel good that Becky allowed me into her life. She loved me and trusted me. I loved that dog.</p><p>So it was with trepidation that I visited with Marge Bart at her Blue Chip farm in Orange. I was afraid I would leave with a dozen or so new friends.</p><p><strong>Started in 1996</strong></p><p>Marge, 60, has owned and operated Blue Chip since 1996, the same year she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She grew up in South Wilkes-Barre, attended Meyers High School and graduated from King&#8217;s College with a degree in business, later getting her MBA at Wilkes University.</p><p>She worked at Certainteed in Mountain Top for 20 years, rising through the ranks to plant superintendent until she retired in 1996, leaving the corporate world to run her farm &#8212; to help animals.</p><p>&#8220;I decided to keep my mind on helping animals,&#8221; she told me. &#8220;And that kept my mind off of my M.S.&#8221;</p><p>Marge doesn&#8217;t believe there are any bad animals.</p><p>&#8220;People make them bad,&#8221; she said.</p><p>There are about 40 dogs at Blue Chip right now, more than 200 cats, six horses, six rabbits and two guinea pigs. The animals are well taken care of by Marge and a core of 30 volunteers who come around regularly with specific duties. There are many more volunteers who come when they can.</p><p><strong>Veterinary costs</strong></p><p>Annual expenses of the farm total around $260,000, most of that for veterinary costs. Blue Chip spends $1,000 a month on cat food and another $1,000 a month on cat litter. The food is always high quality, Marge said. The animals are well taken care of and loved.</p><p>Blue Chip does not euthanize animals. If an animal isn&#8217;t adopted, it remains as a resident of the farm.</p><p>According to the farm&#8217;s website, &#8220;Blue Chip Farm has quietly gone about its mission. A mission to provide a sanctuary where older, stray, abandoned, sick or abused animals can wait to be adopted or simply live out their lives in safety and peace. Blue Chip Farm does not practice euthanasia as a solution to the overpopulation, stray and unwanted animal problem. We believe there are more humane ways to deal with these growing issues.&#8221;</p><p>Marge believes in educating the public about the proper care of animals. She has heard all the excuses for surrendering a pet and said many of those reasons are &#8220;pathetic.&#8221;</p><p>People often don&#8217;t understand the responsibilities of having a pet. Some people like puppies, but when the puppy gets older and has behavior issues, people don&#8217;t know how to train it and give it up. Marge offers training for new pet owners to help them adjust.</p><p>Marge has always had a tough time understanding how anyone could be unkind to an animal and believes God gave her M.S. to allow her to operate her farm.</p><p><strong>Kitty Cottage</strong></p><p>I walked around the farm. I visited the Kitty Cottage. I met several of the canine residents &#8212; Juliette, Apollo, Jamie, Fred, Kobe, Spanky and Abby.</p><p>I met Roxy and her 10 puppies. I met Blue, who was shot during a drive-by shooting in Hazleton. I met purebreds and strays.</p><p>All are safe now. All they need is a new home &#8212; a second chance.</p><p>&#8220;We all have to give something back,&#8221; Marge told me. &#8220;I think they all know that I love them and they love me. They know I&#8217;m helping them.&#8221;</p><p>Not surprisingly, Marge has arranged for the farm&#8217;s perpetuity should something happen to her. She cares that much about her animals.</p><p>Blue Chip Farm is Marge&#8217;s slice of paradise. What began as a sanctuary for unwanted animals has become her purpose in life.</p><p>And the simple bark of a dog or the meow of a cat is music to her ears.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Bill O'Boyle</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_Columnshot-1-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill O'Boyle</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL090215BlueChip1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Marge Bart of Blue Chip Animal Refuge with one of the dogs available for adoption. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL090215BlueChip1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Marge Bart of Blue Chip Animal Refuge with one of the dogs available for adoption. </caption1><photoCredit1>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>How to help</strong></p><p>Call Blue Chip Animal Refuge at 570-333-5265.</p><p>Visit the website at: bcfanimalrefuge.org</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Life is forever at Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge