is an official Safe&Happy
partner
of DocuPet
Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) is the only open-admissions shelter serving Pima County, which spans more than 9,000 square miles. PACC is a municipal shelter that cares for more than 18,000 animals annually and helps thousands more in the community.
Their official nonprofit partner, Friends of PACC, helps fund programs that are above and beyond a municipal shelter’s scope, which enables them to be a lifesaving shelter that treats every animal entering the shelter as an individual and gives them the opportunity at life when community safety is not at risk. With help from the community, they have been able to save more than 90% of the animals that come through their doors each year.
When you license your pet in Pima County, you are keeping your pet safe and making a difference in the community by helping free up shelter space by getting lost pets home faster. But why stop at license fees to support our local animals? We are proud to call PACC an official Safe&Happy Partner. There are quite a few ways to support their vital work, and we hope you’ll join us in our mission to provide them with all the help and resources they need.
“DocuPet makes a difference in our organization by giving pet owners the ability to license online. That means that fewer people come to the shelter to license in person so we can dedicate our licensing staff to helping our Lost and Found department get lost pets home.” -Kayleigh Murdock, Public Information Officer for PACC.
PACC needs our help
The biggest challenge that PACC currently faces is having the space and resources for all the dogs entering the shelter. Since they are a municipal shelter, they must take in every animal from their jurisdiction regardless of their health, temperament, or age.
How to help:
License your pet
License your pet
License fees are essential to PACC’s operating budget. Licensing is a crucial step to keeping the community safe and healthy while also ensuring that lost dogs make it home quickly. Lost dogs with license tags spend little to no time at the shelter, opening up resources for the pets that truly need them. 100% of licensing fees go to PACC.
License your pet here.
Make a donation
Make a donation
Donations made to the shelter go directly to Friends of PACC and help to support the “extras” that allow the shelter to go above and beyond for the animals in their care, such as specialized medical attention, training, shelter support, and more.
Donate here.
Volunteer
Volunteer
Volunteers play many roles around the shelter, from dog walking to clinic support and administrative help. PACC would not be the lifesaving organization that they are today without the support of their amazing volunteers.
Apply to volunteer here.
Shop DocuPet
Shop DocuPet
20% of every designer tag purchase is given to PACC through our Safe&Happy Fund.
Shop to support here.
What is the Safe&Happy Fund?
In an effort to provide animal organizations with as much funding as possible, we created our Safe&Happy Fund. We will always donate 20% of every designer tag sale to our Safe&Happy partners to provide additional funding for vulnerable animals and the staff that serves them. Pet owners are also given the option to donate to PACC at checkout.
PACC by the numbers
We hope that by providing residents with as much information as possible, pet licensing’s positive impact on the community is not just understood but valued.
154
Staff
Members
6,139
Pets
Fostered
10,788
Pets
Adopted
16,997
Pets
Served
2,315
Lost Pets
Reunited
1,100
Volunteers
*Per year
More than just a shelter
Community Cat Program
Community Cat Program
PACC’s Community Cat Program is 100% funded by grants and helps people in the community get cats in their neighborhood TNR’ed (Trap/Neuter/Returned). This program decreases the number of litters being born outside and keeps cats – and their neighbors! – happier and healthier.
Like most cities in the U.S., Tucson has an abundance of community cats. PACC’s goal is to get these cats fixed, provide them with the necessary medical care to have the best possible lives and reduce the number of cats without homes.
To learn more, click here.
Foster Program
Foster Program
Fosters take pets into their homes for short or long-term periods, allowing the pet to experience relief from shelter stress. Fostering allows the shelter to learn more about the pet to better match them with an adopter and opens up much-needed kennel space at the facility. PACC’s foster program typically has more than 1,000 animals in foster care at a time, which allows them to care for more Pima County pets in need. This program is primarily funded by grants and Friends of PACC.
To learn more, click here.
Pet Support Center
Pet Support Center
PACC’s goal is to keep pets with the families who love them; their Pet Support Center is how they can do that. By providing resources and supplies to pet families in need, funding for needed medical care, and in some cases, foster care, the Pet Support Center has helped keep thousands of pets in their homes. The Pet Support Center has seen the need for this program increase dramatically in the last year and is 100% funded by Friends of PACC.
To learn more, click here.
Your license fees at work
Millions of pets enter shelters each year. The critical care, compassion and love that shelter workers and volunteers show these animals is unlimited, but the same unfortunately can’t be said for their budgets. When you license your pet, it isn’t just a fee – but a lifeline – for animals like Murdock and Precious.
Murdock
Murdock is a great example of PACC’s various departments working together to save animals. He came in at just six weeks old with seriously damaged eyes, likely because of advanced calicivirus. He quickly went into foster with a staff member, where he lived for ten weeks while recovering from surgery.
This special little man was deeply loved and found a wonderful home with a brother who looks just like him. His new mom says that he “feels like he was always meant to be a part of the family.”
Precious
Seeing long-time resident Precious, who spent exactly a year at the shelter, get adopted on her anniversary was a truly gratifying moment for staff and volunteers. This deserving, sweet gal is now a best friend to her child siblings and truly lives up to her name.
More about PACC
We sat down with Kayleigh Murdock, Public Information Officer for PACC, to learn more about the important work being done for local animals in need.
What is most rewarding about being a part of PACC?
The most rewarding part of being involved with PACC is working with a team who bends over backwards to find positive outcomes for the animals in our care. I am continually inspired by my coworkers’ efforts for these animals!
In your words, why is licensing important? What impact does it have on your organization?
Licensing your dog is doing a service both for your own pet and for the community as a whole. This is true not only in the obvious ways, in that it helps pets get home faster and ensures that pets are up to date on necessary vaccinations, but in the less obvious ways too; by helping pets find their way back home quicker, fewer pets stay in the shelter, leaving the kennels for those who truly need them.
What is something that makes PACC unique?
Our shelter is unique in many ways, but one way that we are especially lucky is that we have the support of our official nonprofit, Friends of PACC, which does work throughout our community to help pets and PACC.
What is the best piece of advice you have for pet owners?
The best piece of advice I have for pet owners is to remember that each pet is their own little person, with their own thoughts, needs, temperaments, and ideas. It’s what makes them special, and the best thing you can do as a pet owner is ensure that you’re honoring that pet in the ways that they need.
Is there anything else you would like people to know about PACC?
PACC is doing incredible things for pets and people in our community, and we always want help spreading the word! Follow us on social media to learn more about what’s happening every day in our shelter.
