TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A new partnership between Pima Animal Care Center and Tucson Parks and Recreation is trying to reconnect lost pets to their owners before they ever have to set a paw in a shelter.
PACC donated two microchip scanners to the Parks Department, so animals found at parks around the city can skip a trip to PACC or the vet and get checked for a chip on the spot. PACC Director Steve Kozachik said that about 57% of all the animals brought to PACC are strays separated from their owners.
For Parks and Recreation Director Lara Hamwey, this partnership was " a natural fit."
“We joke that we’re Parks, Rec and Rescue,” she said.
Hamwey recounted their most recent park rescued which included seven newborn puppies in a box and an injured pitbull. She says that since she started working at the department, 17 strays found in Tucson parks have found homes with members of the department.
To kick off the partnership, PACC put a microchip scanner at the Parks and Recreation headquarters at 900 S. Randolph Way and the Quincie Douglas Center at 1575 E. 36th St. to save good Samaritans a trip out to PACC if they find lost pets in the park. However, the microchip stations are only available weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. when the buildings are open.
Kozachik hopes to expand the program if it's successful, reaching out to firestations or other locations that could increase the availability hours. He says he hopes this keeps more animals out of the packed county shelter.
He says currently PACC had over 540 dogs, but the shelter was only built to handle 230.
“We don’t need them and we don’t want them here at PACC," he said. "A shelter is not where the animals belong. They belong in homes.”
If your pet doesn't have a microchip, you can get one for free from PACC up until July 3.
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