There's a new effort brewing in Tucson to help the constant problem of the local animal shelters filling up.
The rescue group, Tucson Rescue Now, is teaming up with the fundraising group, Friends of Pima Animal Care Center, to dramatically expand their outreach efforts, by opening a second, much bigger location.
Tucson Rescue Now is currently set up at La Encantada. They pull dogs from PACC, and with the extra exposure, they find the dogs loving homes.
"Here in this environment, we only have six kennels," explained Bonny Harris, the director of Tucson Rescue Now. "So it really limits the amount of dogs that we can bring from the shelter, and by partnering with Friends of PACC, it gives us an opportunity to dramatically increase the number of dogs we're helping, between 30 to 35 dogs a day that we'll be able to highlight between the two locations. So we're literally five to six times the number of dogs that we've been able to help with previously. So we're really excited about that."
Harris says they still have to finalize where the new shelter will be, and work out some transportation details, but they're almost there.
Torre Chisholm, the Director of Friends of PACC, says it's really a win-win-win -- for both groups, and the dogs.
"One of the things they do really well," Chisholm said, "is they actually feature a lot of the dogs that are sometimes the hardest to place or are struggling the most in that really populated shelter environment. Being i
n a location like this gives them a chance to really show who they are and give them a much better chance of finding their forever family."
His group's mission is primarily to fundraise for PACC, so since Tucson Rescue Now is group that helps PACC, this partnership made sense.
"We're actually looking at opportunities to do adoption outposts featuring PACC dogs," said Chisholm. "And then recognizing what the incredible work that Tucson Rescue Now is already doing, the opportunity to partner with them to help strengthen what they're doing here, as well as to create new locations and opportunities in different part, was a no-brainer.
The only thing they really need now, is dog lovers.
"We will be needing a lot new a lot more volunteers," said Harris. "Currently I have a volunteer in each kennel each day, so obviously with having a lot more kennels we're gonna need a lot more people."
There's no word yet when the new shelter will open, except to say it'll be in the near future.
If you want to support the efforts of Tucson Rescue Now and Friends of PACC, you can keep an eye on their social media or go to the shelters if you're looking to adopt.
Claire Graham is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. She grew up in Tucson and graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in musical theatre. Claire spent a decade in Washington state, where she worked in journalism, met her husband and welcomed their baby boy, before moving back home. Share your story ideas and important issues with Claire by emailing claire.graham@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
