TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The day is almost here: The new Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) is set to open its doors to the public in June.
Its new Eastside building is located at 7225 E Broadway Blvd.
“This is the day we’ve been waiting for, for a long time," Wade Schultz says. He is an Animal Placement Manager, and says they want the pets to be in a happy environment.
"We do not have a foster office here, not initially," Schultz explains. The priority of this satellite location is getting the pets adopted.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: New Eastside PACC adoption center aims to give more pets a paws-itive life
“The idea behind this whole process, as you can see, we have small rooms, individual kennels, so it is a great place for a shy, nervous dog to get a little more exposure and to get that little bit of confidence that helps with the adoption process," Schultz explains.
"Over the course of the next few weeks, there's going to be a lot of learning," Schultz says, "we're in a new space, we have a lot of new volunteers." Before fully opening to the public, he wants to make sure the place is running smoothly.
"My favorite thing about this whole process is when we adopt, and we watch an animal go home," Schultz says.
He also thanks the community for their help with donations and volunteering. “Almost everything you see here was either brought in by the county, as part of the build process, or donated by people in the community. I am blown away by how generous this community is and how much they care about their animals," Schultz explains.
When someone adopts an animal, they can take a photo next to a mural, with the message: Finally Home.
“That was our message to our animals and to our folks who come to adopt that we would like them to be finally home.”
Kat Swan is the muralist creating the art inside the center. Swan says the cat is having a good time hanging out on the cactus, and she included a black dog in the portrait, since black dogs tend to stay in shelters longer.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
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