Although the number of animals taken in slowed during the pandemic, the Pima Animal Care Center is again experiencing an overflow of pets this summer that has reached critical levels, officials with the agency said.
While daily intake is typically 20 to 50 animals, this number ranges from 75 to 100 in the summer. As of Friday, PACC had 580 animals in its shelter and 764 in foster care.
The shelter hit critical capacity on June 17, causing volunteers to create a pop-up kennel space in a separate room. Out of the 486 dogs occupying the shelter that day, about 30 were moved into kennel space, according to Nikki Reck, PACC鈥檚 public information officer,
鈥淚t鈥檚 harder on the dogs mentally and their well being and their health,鈥 Reck said. 鈥淪o we don鈥檛 want to do that unless we absolutely have to.鈥
All 30 dogs were adopted within three days, but PACC is still nearing capacity daily, burdening both its pets and workers.
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Reck says three main issues contribute to the abundance of animals in the summer: hoarding cases, a higher intake of stray pets and prime kitten season.
Hoarding cases
The shelter currently has three separate hoarding cases within its care. Within the last two weeks, the shelter has taken in 40 Chihuahuas, 27 larger mixed-breed dogs and 38 cats.
Reck says since January, the shelter has worked on 15 different hoarding cases with more than 400 animals.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough time of year. Those cases are difficult because most of them start with really good intentions,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey want to rescue and save these pets, and then if they鈥檙e not spayed or neutered, it just gets out of hand very quickly.鈥
While some animals have been placed with rescue partners, many are sitting in the shelter鈥檚 kennels receiving medical care for injuries while volunteers attempt to socialize them in an unfamiliar environment.
The reason hoarding cases become more frequent in the summertime, Reck says, is because the animals鈥 odor amplifies in the summer heat.
鈥淭he smell starts to drift over to the neighbors,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t has a very distinct smell, whether it鈥檚 a cat one or a dog one, there鈥檚 a specific type of odor associated with it when there are many animals just sharing a roof.鈥
Christy Holliger, who has volunteered at PACC for eight years, works with the shelter鈥檚 dogs on behavior. She says pets from hoarding cases often experience longer stays in the shelter due to the consequences of the conditions they were kept in.
鈥淭hese guys haven鈥檛 been handled a lot, and they鈥檙e terrified of being stuck in the kennel. In the beginning, it鈥檚 traumatizing for them when we pick them up and take them out of the kennel because they鈥檙e terrified,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hen somebody comes into the shelter, they鈥檙e not necessarily looking for a project, they鈥檙e not looking for a fearful dog that they have to work with. So it really puts a big burden on us when we get these hoarding cases.鈥
According to Nikki Reck, public information officer at Pima Animal Care Center, they're full everyday to capacity with animals. Every year there's an influx of animals due to kitten season, strays and hoarding cases. For three days a pop-up kennel was set up in one of the community rooms at the center. Video by: Mamta Popat / 蜜柚直播 July 2, 2021.
Lost pets
PACC also becomes inundated with lost pets in the summer.
鈥淲e think that people aren鈥檛 home as much, they鈥檙e going on vacation, they鈥檙e in and out,鈥 Reck said. 鈥淪o the doors are opening more, and the dogs and cats are finding their way out.鈥
Reck says if a lost pet ends up at the shelter, 鈥測ou鈥檙e not going to get in trouble.鈥 PACC even provides leashes and collars for pet owners retrieving their animals.
鈥淭here鈥檚 this misconception that people are irresponsible owners if their pet gets out, and that鈥檚 really not the case,鈥 she said. 鈥淭heir pet just got out, they didn鈥檛 have a microchip, didn鈥檛 have a collar, which some people call irresponsible. I say they might not know better, they might not have access to it.鈥
But only about 30% of the stray pets that end up at the shelter are returned to their owner. If a pet has a microchip or collar with contact information, the reunification process is simple. Otherwise, the pet is microchipped and vaccinated at the shelter and is put on 鈥渟tray wait鈥 for three days before it goes up for adoption.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 state law,鈥 Reck said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have the space to be able to hang on to them for long periods of time, even if we could expand it. We wish we could.鈥
Kitten boom
The summer heat initiates the peak breeding season for cats, causing PACC to take in more kittens. However, Reck warns, bringing a litter of kittens into the shelter could cause more harm than good.
鈥淧eople think they鈥檙e doing the right thing by bringing us kittens,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey might not understand that they鈥檙e actually causing what they鈥檙e trying to prevent, because kittens without their mothers don鈥檛 do well.鈥
Without their mothers, kittens can experience fading kitten syndrome 鈥 a set of symptoms that lead to rapidly declining health. The shelter suggests pouring a ring of baking soda around found kittens then waiting 24 hours to see if mom鈥檚 paw prints show up. If so, it鈥檚 best to leave the cats alone.
The shelter鈥檚 nursery is caring for several kittens it has received during the peak reproductive season, but PACC says only kittens clearly in need of help should be brought in.
鈥淲e tell people if you really want to help them live, keep them with mom,鈥 Reck said. 鈥淚f you want to trap mom and babies to bring them here, we can do that. Unless they look really sick 鈥 those are good examples of what to bring us.鈥
But the kitten intake may slow down in future summers. This year, the animal shelter is receiving more than $323,00 from the county to expand its trap, neuter and release community cat program to decrease the number of feral cats and the kittens they produce.
鈥淭he goal is to just have our own separate set of people who just do (trap, neuter and release) stuff year round, because it鈥檚 an important need in this community,鈥 Reck said. 鈥淐ommunity cats are smart, they can survive, but they still need spay and neuter.鈥
Volunteers are stretched thin
The influx of hoarding cases, strays and newborn kittens has implications on the shelter鈥檚 capacity to care for the animals, and ultimately, to get them adopted.
Many volunteers have stayed home throughout the pandemic due to high susceptibility to the virus. While PACC has a dedicated group of volunteers caring for animals, they鈥檙e stretched thin.
鈥淭he volunteers that were here and have been through COVID, they鈥檙e especially rundown right now, because they鈥檝e been with us the whole time. They care so much about these pets, but they鈥檙e running themselves ragged.鈥 Reck said. 鈥淲e are getting more volunteers slowly, which is great. But those volunteers who鈥檝e been through all this, they have more dogs now to walk than they ever did.鈥
With less staff available to care for an increasing number of animals, the pets鈥 chances of being adopted become slimmer.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e overcrowded, every animal gets less of our time, less time out of their kennel,鈥 Holliger said. 鈥淭here are days when there鈥檚 not enough volunteers to walk them all. So some days the dogs won鈥檛 get out of their kennel. The less time that we have to spend with them, the quicker they鈥檙e going to decline, and the longer they鈥檙e here, the more they decline. When people come up to their kennel, they鈥檙e not going to be adoptable.鈥
While the room that once served as makeshift kennel space is now empty, Reck says the situation could arise again.
鈥淚f we get another situation where we have three hoarding cases that we鈥檙e working at the same time like that, with that many animals, it will happen again,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut we are committed to saving lives. We do not euthanize for space, and we鈥檙e not going to do that.鈥
