TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) welcomed families and animal lovers Sunday afternoon for its second annual Fall Festival, an event designed to promote adoptions during a critical time for the shelter.
The festival featured food trucks, family-friendly games and prizes, and a festive atmosphere aimed at drawing attention to PACC’s urgent need for adopters and fosters.
The center offered free adoptions for all cats and dogs as part of the event, a gesture PACC hopes will alleviate its ongoing capacity issues.
“We’re at about 480 dogs in our shelter, which is still critical capacity for us,” said Kayleigh Murdock, PACC’s Public Information Officer. “We’ve recently been facing much higher numbers, so we’re happy we’ve made some progress, but we really need to get below 450 dogs in the shelter.”
PACC volunteers noted that nearly all the cats at the shelter had been adopted, a major milestone amidst a year of overcrowding for the center.
Murdock says that the holiday season could bring further reprieve, but that it’s difficult to know for sure.
“We tend to see both sides of the house slow down as the winter months approach,” Murdock said. “We see fewer animals coming in but we also see fewer animals going out, so we still really need folks’ support in adopting and fostering these pets so they can find loving homes.”
Community Steps Up to Help
Lines formed as attendees explored the shelter, with many families finding new companions. Tucson resident Kevin Mock shared his experience of adopting Yuki, a husky mix adopted during the event.
“I had a dog pass away and I was here to find me a new emotional support dog,” Mock said. “It was the way he just took to me when I was looking at him in the cage and we connected.”
Another adopter, Yvonne Merrill, came to the event after losing a beloved pet and found herself drawn to a shy husky in need of a quiet home.
“I’ve had dogs all my life,” Merrill said. “Every time one dies, I swear I won’t get another one. But after about four months, I’m back here to meet another doggie.”
Merrill was waiting to meet a husky who she’d visited a few times in the past. “She’s shy and a little bit skittish and she wants a home that’s quiet,” she said. “I’m the only one at my place and it would be really nice to have her come live with me.”
Colleen L. and her two children also waited to meet a Dalmatian they hoped to take home and “add to the family.”
“I’m figuring that a lot of people want to look at him so we have a few we’re going to take a look at and see which fits best,” she said.
Continued Efforts to Reduce Capacity
While the Fall Festival drew a crowd, PACC’s efforts to balance its capacity are far from over.
Free adoptions will continue in the foreseeable future, and the shelter encourages the community to consider short-term or long-term fostering.
Murdock offered additional ways that the community can help.
“If you can share our posts on social media, help get the word out,” she said. “You can also help lost pets find their way home instead of bringing them into the shelter by using Petco’s Love Lost or other tools found on our website, that is so helpful.”
For more information on adoptions or how to support PACC, visit their website.
——
Joel Foster is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9 who previously worked as an English teacher in both Boston and the Tucson area. Joel has experience working with web, print and video in the tech, finance, nonprofit and the public sectors. In his off-time, you might catch Joel taking part in Tucson's local comedy scene. Share your story ideas with Joel at joel.foster@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
