PACC issues emergency request for community assistance

Pima County, Arizona sent this bulletin at 05/27/2022 07:36 AM MST

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Pima Animal Care Center is over capacity as holiday weekend approaches

PIMA COUNTY, Friday, May 27, 2022 – Pima Animal Care Center is out of space for incoming dogs. All kennels, including non-public ones, are being used to hold stray pets. The shelter is also placing pop-up kennels around the shelter to make room. “We‘ve been at capacity for a long time and we are now critical again,” said Monica Dangler, Director of Animal Services. “PACC needs your help. We need to clear space for 50 large dogs immediately.” PACC has 1,907 animals in its care; more than 676 of those pets are at the shelter with 519 of those being dogs. On average, the shelter is taking in around 10-15 more pets than are getting out each day.

While large-breed dogs are the primary challenge, PACC also has many adult cats and kittens who need fostering so they can continue getting medical care.

People can help several ways:

Adopt a medium- to large-sized dog.
Foster a medium- to large-sized dog.
Hang onto those friendly stray pets that show up in the neighborhood. They likely belong to one of your neighbors. People can knock on doors in the area and will likely find the owner within a matter of hours. If the finder needs supplies in order to hang onto the pet, PACC will provide those supplies free of charge. Pets that stay in the neighborhood where they are found have an 80% chance of making it back home. That rate drops to 20% if they come to the shelter.
File a lost report immediately and upload a photo to http://www.lost.petcolove.org. Owners will be alerted when a dog matching theirs comes into PACC or HSSA.
Donate to Friends of Pima Animal Care Center at friendsofpacc.org.

PACC is also offering Reclaim Forgiveness for stray pets. However, each case will be treated on an individual basis. To see if your pet is at the shelter, check the intake hourly, as it changes throughout the day.

“The majority of what’s coming into the shelter are large, stray dogs,” Dangler said. “If you find a stray and can hang onto it, you would be helping that dog and the dog that will likely take its place in a kennel at PACC.”

Due to the volume of calls and urgency in the shelter, PACC is prioritizing live adoptions, so non-emergency calls might be delayed. For specific questions about pets at PACC, adoptions or fostering, people should stop by the shelter in person. For emergency related calls, people can call the dispatch line at (520) 724-5900 and press 4.

Pima Animal Care Center is open Monday to Friday, noon to 7 p.m., and 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. To see a list of available pets and services, head to pima.gov/animalcare.

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Pima Animal Care Center: Is Southern Arizona’s largest animal services agency, taking in 19,000 pets annually and serving approximately 35,000 cats, dogs and other animals in the community. PACC has hundreds of pets available for adoption and foster, including puppies, kittens, dogs, cats and small animals. Follow PACC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Friends of PACC is the official nonprofit, philanthropic partner of Pima Animal Care Center. Its mission is to support Pima Animal Care Center and enhance its efforts to save the lives of pets in need. Its vision is that every pet that comes to Pima Animal Care Center is supported with the resources needed to find a loving home. Follow Friends of PACC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Pima Animal Care Center is Southern Arizona’s largest animal services agency and only open admission animal welfare facility. PACC serves the unincorporated County, the cities of Tucson and South Tucson, and the town of Oro Valley. It has hundreds of pets available for adoption and foster, including puppies, kittens, dogs, cats and small animals.