TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Pima Animal Care Center is asking the public for immediate help after reaching an “urgent” census level, shelter officials said Thursday, with 593 dogs currently in its care at the Silverbell location.
The unusually high intake has forced staff to set up temporary pop-up kennels and place two or more dogs in single kennels — a practice the shelter says creates safety concerns for staff, volunteers and the animals themselves.
“Simply put, we are out of room,” PACC Director Steve Kozachik said. “Virtually every kennel at PACC is currently housing two dogs. That is a safety issue for our staff and volunteers, and it is not fair to the animals.”
PACC said roughly 70% of its annual intake are stray dogs that likely have homes nearby. Many are housetrained, friendly and sometimes microchipped with out-of-date information.
Shelter officials urged people who find healthy, friendly strays to try to reunite them with their owners rather than bringing them directly to the facility.
Steps the public can take, PACC said, include:
- Checking for tags with a phone number and calling the owner.
- Hanging onto the pet while searching for its owner; statistics show most strays are found within a mile of home.
- Posting flyers and asking neighbors if they recognize the animal.
- Using neighborhood listservs and apps such as Nextdoor and Petco Love Lost to help locate owners. The Ring app also offers this feature.
- Taking the animal to a local veterinarian to be scanned for a microchip.
“We continue to urge members of the public to rely on neighborhood list serves, Next Door, Petco Love Lost and other social media forms to locate the owner of strays,” Kozachik said. “Take happy, healthy strays to your local veterinarian, and they can scan it for a microchip. They do not belong in a shelter.”
Kozachik also appealed to people considering adoption or fostering to act now. “If you have been considering adopting or fostering a dog, there is no better time than now,” he said. “We clearly have plenty to choose from, and each of them would love a home outside of the shelter.”
