TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Pima County’s two largest animal welfare organizations are joining forces to help more pets stay with their families, thanks to a nearly $2 million grant from Maddie’s Fund.
Friends of Pima Animal Care Center, the nonprofit partner of Pima Animal Care Center, and the Humane Society of Southern Arizona have received a three-year, $1.92 million grant from the national foundation. The funding will support expanded veterinary care, behavior training and outreach services for families across southern Arizona.
“This will create a model that will significantly expand access to medical and behavioral care for pets and the people who love them,” said Romy Harness, director of Access to Care initiatives at Maddie’s Fund. “Pima County’s pets and people, shelter staff and volunteers, and veterinary professionals are all ready to work together for systemic change that keeps families together and eliminates suffering.”
A major focus of the grant is launching a joint Pet Support Center, where families can access help before they feel forced to surrender their animals.
PACC’s current Pet Support Center already fields about 1,000 calls a week, mainly about rehoming and resources to keep pets in their homes. The center’s Keeping Families Together program helps more than 1,000 families each year pay for private veterinary care, and another 150 families receive free behavior support.
Even so, thousands of requests go unfulfilled due to limited funding and staffing. By combining forces, PACC and HSSA estimate they will prevent about 10,000 pets from entering the shelter system during the three-year grant period.
“Keeping pets with the people who love them is one of the most powerful ways to support the human-animal bond,” said Dr. Kristin Barney, CEO of HSSA. “This partnership allows us to expand critical services like low-cost veterinary care and behavior support, while working alongside PACC and Friends of PACC to create a community-wide safety net.”
The funding will pay for additional call center and veterinary staff at both organizations. Friends of PACC’s Community Pet Clinic will be able to see more patients, while HSSA will add veterinary staff, behavior trainers, and a veterinary social worker dedicated to supporting families in crisis. The grant also includes a pilot Access to Care Alliance to engage local veterinarians in helping vulnerable pet owners.
Steve Kozachik, director of PACC, said the collaboration will strengthen the entire region’s animal welfare network.
“PACC looks forward to working with HSSA and Friends of PACC, building relationships the wider animal welfare community will see as a model to be emulated,” Kozachik said.
Under the grant agreement, HSSA will also accept a set number of pets each year from PACC jurisdictions, helping ease crowding at the county shelter.
“Keeping these pets in loving homes, instead of unnecessarily surrendered to the shelter, also enables us to focus efforts on other important life-saving programs such as spay/neuter, lost and found, and new adoption programs,” said Torre Chisholm, CEO of Friends of PACC.
——-
Kenny Darr is a reporter for KGUN 9. He joined the team in January 2023. Before arriving in Arizona he was an Anchor and Reporter at KADN in Lafayette, LA. Share your story ideas with Kenny by emailing kenny.darr@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
