PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA –Pima Animal Care Center is making preparations for a 50-dog impound case while already dealing with a lack of available dog kennel space. The shelter needs adopters and fosters for 100 medium- to large-sized dogs immediately.
“This really could not come at a worse time,” said Director of Animal Services, Monica Dangler. “We have steadily been in Code Red since July 2021.”
The impound case is an active investigation so public details are limited, but there are approximately 50 dogs of various sizes. Because it’s an impound situation, the dogs won’t be immediately available for adoption. They will also need to be housed at PACC during the duration of the investigation.
Adding to this already difficult situation is an outbreak of parvo and distemper in the Pima County community. The shelter’s parvo and distemper rooms are all full. Parvo and distemper virus in dogs, panleukopenia and calicivirus in cats, and rabies virus affecting dogs, cats and people are deadly diseases that are preventable with simple, safe vaccines for pets.
Typically, PACC adopts out around 40 dogs daily, but the shelter needs to get 60 or more adopted over the next five days to have room for these dogs.
“We are really worried about what we will do if we don’t make enough room for the impound,” Dangler said. “Staff have dogs in their offices, dogs are co-housed when possible, and we are still struggling to figure out where else to put them.”
HOW PEOPLE CAN HELP:
- ADOPT: There are 614 pets at the shelter in need of homes and 1,114 pets in foster care in need of adoptive homes. All pets have $0 adoption fees right now. (A $20 licensing fee may apply.) People who are interested in adopting can stop by the shelter during regular business hours. Potential adopters can also browse online to see available pets. The adoption page is listed by animals with known history: good with kids, good with cats, in foster care, and more. (Note: adoptions are first come, first served, so what’s available might change by the time adopters get to the shelter.)
- FOSTER: Fosters are always a huge help in cases like this, even folks who can only foster for a short time. People interested in fostering should look at the foster page and then come down to the shelter to find a foster pet.
- HELP STRAYS FIND THEIR OWNERS: This is the easiest and most helpful way to assist the shelter. Most of the pets that come into PACC are friendly, healthy stray pets. We are asking for help from the public with those strays. Please try to find their owner before coming to PACC. Knock on doors. Put up flyers in the neighborhood. Post their picture on social media. If you need supplies, we can get them to you. We can also vaccinate and check out the pet if you can hang onto it and continue to try to find the owner. Most lost pets are only a few houses or streets away from their home: https://bit.ly/33CoS9k
- DONATE: Make a financial donation to PACC’s nonprofit partner, Friends of Pima Animal Care . There are a variety of different ways your donation can help. If you are looking to get a little something for yourself, check out the FOP merchandise website. Every item you buy helps a PACC pet.
- RECLAIM YOUR PET IF IT ENDS UP AT PACC: Reclaim fees are being waived. Check online often and check in person every day.
- VACCINATE AND MICROCHIP YOUR PET: No Kill Pima County has a great website with links to affordable options when it comes to pet care like vaccinations, microchips, dentals, and more. Reminder: your microchip must have a number associated with it for it to be effective. There are many free websites where you can do this online.
PACC’s normal business hours are Monday to Friday, noon to 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. All adopted pets come up to date on vaccinations, a microchip, and a spay or neuter surgery.