This guest editorial by Pima Animal Care Center manager Kim Janes ran in the Arizona Daily Star on Jan. 10:

On behalf of Pima Animal Care Center, I would like to send an enthusiastic thank you to the community for the heart-stirring support we received over the holiday season as we continue to address the problem of homeless pets in our region.

In recent weeks:

• A successful fundraising drive allowed us to put elevated dog beds in every one of our kennels, making sure our dogs are no longer sleeping on the concrete.
• More than 100 people showed up on a chilly Christmas morning to volunteer to help our dogs get plenty of fresh air and exercise on the holiday. On New Year’s Day, we had more than 130 participants.
• An effort to install a sound system throughout our shelter is gaining momentum, with the hope that soothing music will help create a more calming atmosphere for our dogs and visitors.
• Community members of all ages stepped forward to provide individual support, from the Auld Dubliner pub, Tanque Verde Elementary students, and Dawn Myers and her rescued pit bull, Booker, who used social media to provide blankets, treats and food.

On Christmas morning, as I watched the outpouring of love for the animals we are privileged to care for, I struggled to find the words for my gratitude. It reminded me once again of the capacity we have in this community for compassion.

It also brought me hope.

Pima Animal Care Center is embarking on an effort, along with several community partners, to improve animal welfare in the region.

Already, more than 30 committed members of the community, from the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, to rescue groups and concerned citizens, have begun a dialogue about ways we can reduce the numbers of unwanted animals and increase our ability to connect those animals with homes. A steering committee was formed to continue shaping the effort.

Our shelter recently hired a full-time volunteer coordinator and will be adding another staff member to our adoption team. We are making some facility changes to make adoptions more accessible and are increasing our visibility in the community through greater outreach and off-site adoptions.

Anyone in shelter work will tell you there are days when the challenges you face seem insurmountable, especially when you consider we see 28,000 animals a year at Pima Animal Care Center.

These efforts this season have reminded the staff that we are not alone.

Indeed, it is going to take the entire community working together to fix this problem.

• If you’re a pet owner, please make sure your dog is vaccinated and licensed – to keep it and other dogs in the community safer – and that your pet is spayed or neutered to avoid contributing to the pet overpopulation problem.
• Consider adopting a shelter pet.
• Donate time, supplies or funds to Pima Animal Care Center. Pima County provides funds to the center to carry out its mandated public health responsibilities, but – like other nonprofit organizations – the center can do more with your help.

Visit us at4000 N. Silverbell Road or at www.pima.gov/animalcare

You can make a difference in the lives of animals. Thank you for your help.

 

 

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 10th, 2013 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Pima Animal Care Center, Pima County, Southern Arizona, Tucson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.