Pima Animal Care Center to open eastside adoption center

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) is moving forward with plans for an eastside adoption center after the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Oct. 14 to accept up to $1 million in funding from Friends of PACC, the shelter’s official nonprofit partner.

County officials are pursuing a lease for a building near Broadway and Kolb; the exact location will be announced once the lease is finalized. The satellite site will be used exclusively for adoptions and is intended to make it easier for eastside residents to adopt while easing overcrowding at PACC’s main shelter at 4000 N. Silverbell Road.

PACC Director Steve Kozachik said the shelter — built to comfortably house roughly 300 dogs — has been managing a census closer to 600. “Since early in the year, we’ve been trying a variety of new approaches to curb the rising census,” Kozachik said. He added that barriers such as lack of spay/neuter, unsecured pets and low microchipping rates in the community contribute to the problem, and that taking animals into eastside neighborhoods should boost adoptions from that part of the county and relieve pressure on the main facility.

Adoption data show about 65% of animals go to homes near the Silverbell location, with relatively few adopters coming from the east side. PACC plans to move roughly 35 to 50 dogs into the new adoption center once it is ready.

Friends of PACC Chief Executive Officer Torre Chisholm called the eastside adoption satellite a “significant step forward” for the group’s efforts to support the county shelter and expand access to adoptions.

The eastside adoption site has been discussed by PACC and county leadership for years as a way to help residents who face the long trip to Silverbell. County officials and Friends of PACC say they will release additional details, including the finalized address and timeline for opening, after the lease is completed and preparations are finished.