The Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) is reporting a spike in pet intakes, following the Fourth of July weekend.
The animal shelter is prompting officials to remind the community of available resources and the importance of localized search efforts for lost animals.
Nikki Reck, a spokesperson for PACC, said that while intake numbers were lower leading up to the holiday due to an emergency-only status following a distemper outbreak, the numbers jumped dramatically once the shelter reopened for public intake on Sunday.
On Friday, the shelter took in seven dogs and one cat; however, by Sunday, those numbers surged to 36 dogs and 21 cats.
“Quite a jump,” Reck said. “I can tell you that’s high even for like a normal Sunday intake numbers, they’re usually around like the teens to the 20s.”
Leading up to the holiday, PACC and its nonprofit partner, Friends of PACC, offered free microchips, vaccines, and pet ID tags to help residents protect their pets.
“The quickest way to get a lost pet home is to have a collar that works and a pet ID tag with a current number. It takes minutes to call and find and reunite pets. Honestly, that’s the best way,” Reck said.
When a "friendly, healthy stray" is found, Reck encourages neighbors to look nearby before bringing the animal to the shelter. Research cited by PACC suggests that most lost pets are found less than two miles from their homes.
“Dogs are escape artists. So are cats. It just happens,” Reck said. “If you’re able to hang on to a friendly dog that you found, those rates (of reunification) go way up. And again, wherever you found the dog, that is probably near where it lives.”
PACC currently offers supplies, such as food, collars, and leashes, to community members willing to foster a healthy stray while searching for its owner.
Distemper outbreak limited services leading up to July 4
Reck reported that approximately 10 dogs have tested positive out of a population of roughly 500. The shelter is stressing the importance of the parvo/distemper combination vaccine, which can be found for as little as $15 or even for free at various community events in Tucson.
“We don’t want people to think that this is not a big deal because it is,” Reck warned. “Distemper can kill dogs, adult dogs. We lost one dog who likely had it upon intake.”
PACC issued a statement on Thursday that it would be limiting intake of animals to only those that posed a risk to the public and those in need of emergency care, as a result of a distemper outbreak.
Adoptions were halted until animals were confirmed disease free and safe to leave the shelter.
Reck said PACC managed the spread of illness in the shelter by erecting isolation kennels to house groups of dogs who are suffering from the same or similar illnesses, conducting diagnostic tests to better identify the specific viruses present in the population and limiting dog-to-dog contact in the shelter.
PACC resumed regular intake operations on Sunday.
Community members in need of assistance are encouraged to visit the PACC website and fill out the online survey for the Pet Support Center, which allows staff to route requests more efficiently than phone messages.
“This community is so wonderful at helping each other out,” Reck said. “It’s a very pet loving community and Pima County is there to help people who need it.”
