Pima Animal Care Center over capacity, asking for help as holiday weekend approaches

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Pima Animal Care Center is asking for help clearing 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.

On average, the shelter is taking in 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.

People can help in 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 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-7 p.m., and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. To see a list of available pets and services, head to pima.gov/animalcare.