41 pets taken from home

PIMA COUNTY, March, 2021  – Pima Animal Care Center has taken in around 40 dogs and a parrot after conducting a welfare check at a home near South 4^th Avenue and East 36^th Street. The dogs vary in age and size. Many of the adult dogs appear to be in fair condition and are covered in feces. Most of the puppies are showing signs of Upper Respiratory Infection (URI), and one puppy has wounds. All of the dogs seem under socialized and do not appear to be leash trained.

The conditions in the home are unsanitary. There is an extreme build-up of waste, and there were five dead dogs on the premises. Animal Protection Officers (APS) are checking the home to make sure there are no other animals.

“We knew this wasn’t going to be an easy case to investigate once an officer on scene said ‘It’s worse than we anticipated,’” said Monica Dangler, Interim Director of Animal Services. “We want people to know that it doesn’t have to get this bad. We are here to help. Let us help before it gets to this point. If you or someone you know needs help, please give us a call at 724-7222.”

PACC staff and APS officers had been working with the woman to reduce the number of animals in the home, but there were some signs of serious neglect with the recent dogs that had been surrendered. That’s when APS conducted a welfare check and saw that immediate action was needed.

“There is no reason to feel shame if you find yourself in a situation where you need help,” Dangler said. “When it gets to this level, the pets and people in the home are suffering. No one wants that.” 

PACC’s clinic is evaluating these pets, so they will not immediately be available to foster or adopt. However, there are currently 258 pets in the shelter that do need homes, along with 479 more in foster care who also need forever homes. Potential adopters can look through the lists at pima.gov/adopt, fill out the cat or dog survey, and wait for the automatic reply email to choose a time to come to the shelter.

People must have an appointment to visit the shelter, unless it is an emergency. For emergencies, please call 724-5900 and press 4.

For anyone who cannot foster or adopt, they can help by donating to Friends of Pima Animal Care Center. Friends of PACC is the official nonprofit partner to Pima Animal Care Center, and relies on grants and individual donations to support the life-saving work of the shelter. People can make their donations at friendsofpacc.org.