Urgent Need For Fosters At Pima Animal Care Center

TUCSON, AZ — There are kennels in the lobby. There are dogs in the offices. Pima Animal Care Center is housing animals anywhere there is space.

The center urgently needs foster homes or adoptions for 100 large dogs, today.

"It's the worst it has ever been," said Nikki Reck, the center's public information officer.

The shelter was totally out of space as of Thursday, with 749 animals at the facility and more than 1,500 in its care. The center is taking in between 80 to 100 pets each day, but is adopting out fewer than 20 per day, according to a news release.

Reck has canine roommates in her own office, and said there are kennels in all the other offices and meet and greet rooms. She added that the center will keep putting up more kennels and asking for the public's help as animals continue to pour in.

“We need people who can immediately foster or adopt dogs over 40 pounds,” said Monica Dangler, director of Animal Services in the news release. “We have 530 large dogs currently at the shelter, but even with pairing up dogs that can be housed in one kennel, we are short kennel space.”

The center attributes the lack of space to an increase in lost pets due to monsoon weather, more dogs that prefer to be alone in their kennels and an influx of animals that are involved in Animal Protection Services Investigations and can’t be adopted right away.

Adopting or fostering a large dog right now will save many lives, Danger said.

Those looking to help only need to feel confident in caring for a dog, they don't need any special qualifications, Reck said.

The center provides veterinarian care, crates, supplies and food for foster animals.

Locals can also help the shelter by taking on temporary responsibility for friendly, healthy lost pets that turn up in their neighborhood. These animals most likely belong to someone nearby, the center said in the news release.

Shelter staff suggest attempting to find the owner by knocking on doors. Finders can file a report that an animal has been located by texting the word “found” to 833-552-0591.

Because immediate adoptions are a priority at the moment, non-urgent calls to the center may be delayed.

Also due to crowding at the shelter, the center has reduced its owner-surrender appointments. Owners not experiencing an immediate crisis will need to keep their pets for up to four weeks.

Pima Animal Care Center is open from noon to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.