Memorial Day is a Pima County holiday, so volunteers help make sure our dogs don’t have to stay in their kennels all day without exercise and attention.

The volunteers at Pima Animal Care Center are hosting a Memorial Day Dog Walk and are asking for the community’s help. The walk begins at 8 a.m. and runs until about 10 a.m.

We haven’t had as many volunteers sign up as we typically do for our holiday walks so we would love to encourage some more folks to lace up some tennis shoes.

Not only is it a great way to reflect on the freedoms we have to participate in causes we care about, thanks to our veterans, but it’s also a good cause and a lot of fun.

If you like zippy, high-energy dogs, we’ve got ’em. If you would prefer a more leisurely pace around the scenic Silverbell Lake, we’ve got plenty of dogs to match your pace. Our volunteers will help you make the right match.

Please RSVP to volunteer Jack Neuman at jacneu@yahoo.com. Cans of dog or cat food are always appreciated, as are used blankets and towels. And if you have your own slip leads or leashes, feel free to bring them.

For those interested in becoming a more permanent volunteer, we offer ongoing open houses to provide all the information you need about participating in our Volunteer Program. The open houses run approximately 45 minutes. An open house will be held following the dog walk at 11 a.m.

For more information, or a schedule of upcoming events, please visit www.pima.gov/animalcare or contact our Volunteer Coordinator, José Ocaño, at 520-243-5920.

Don’t stop now. Adopt for $12 to save 12,000

Pima Animal Care Center thanks the community for making our annual adoption event, Monsoon Muttness, such a success.

During the Saturday event, 96 pets were adopted and another 27 went home through rescue organizations, for a grand total of 123 in a single day.

It was the largest adoption event of the fiscal year ending June 30, and the third-largest in recent history, only following the initial launch of Monsoon Muttness 11 years ago and just behind last year’s 139.

We couldn’t do the work we do without our dedicated volunteers or our compassionate and devoted rescue partners – or without our customers, who know there are great pets of all shapes, sizes, colors and ages that need new homes.

For those who missed the adoption event, there are plenty of great pets still available. In fact, dozens of new animals come in every day. Plus, as an added bonus as we work to save 12,000 animals this fiscal year, we have reduced our adoption fee to $12 until June 30.

Come visit our Silverbell adoption center to see if your new family member is waiting.

Photo courtesy of Ann-Eve Cunningham

For those who would like to honor the day with community service, Pima Animal Care Center is hosting a volunteer dog walk and cat cuddle on Monday, May 27, beginning at 8 a.m. on Memorial Day. Our adoption center is closed for the holiday, so volunteers help us make sure our pets get plenty of exercise and attention.

Not a trained volunteer? No problem. Experienced volunteers will help you have a fun, safe time, especially since our pets love to explore Silverbell Lake, right behind our adoption center. Refreshments are provided.

Please RSVP to volunteer Jack Neuman at jacneu@yahoo.com. Cans of dog or cat food are always appreciated, as are used blankets and towels. And if you have your own slip leads or leashes, feel free to bring them.

For those interested in becoming a more permanent volunteer, we offer ongoing open houses to provide all the information you need about participating in our Volunteer Program. The open houses run approximately 45 minutes. An open house will be held following the dog walk at 11 a.m.

For more information, or a schedule of upcoming events, please visit www.pima.gov/animalcare or contact our Volunteer Coordinator, José Ocaño, at 520-243-5920.

Staff at Pima Animal Care Center would love to never have to euthanize another animal again, except to end severe or terminal suffering.

It’s the hardest part of our job. And while we are making progress, we’re not there yet.

June 11 will mark Just One Day, a national movement promoting a one-day moratorium on euthanasia in order to highlight the need to find homes for homeless animals.

Pima Animal Care Center practices this moratorium on each of the 10 County holidays. With the exception of ending suffering, we will fulfill that goal again on June 11, as well as on the date of our large annual adoption event, Monsoon Muttness, coming up this Saturday, May 18.

To be clear, there is no “clock” ticking on healthy, adoptable animals. We will keep them indefinitely as long as an animal shows no sign of illness or injury or aggression. Last fiscal year, ending June 30, Pima Animal Care Center took in more than 24,000 animals. Think about that for a minute. Imagine taking in 65 pets every day of the year. Or visualize it this way: McKale Center, filled, seats fewer than 15,000.

Although approximately 13,000 animals were euthanized, we’re on pace to make significant improvement this year. We have a strong rescue program, thanks to the work of our energetic and compassionate rescue partners. We routinely run specials to help our animals find homes faster. We are working to organize more events in the community. In all, our save rate to date this year is 63 percent – up 10 percent over this time last year. It needs to be better.

This is a plea for the community’s help. We can certainly put more donations and more volunteers to good use, but what we really need are two main things:

• Please spay and neuter your pets to keep animals out of our shelter in the first place. When a mother with six babies shows up at our door, that means we now need as many as seven homes – not just the one.
• And to help those that are here, please remember us when you’re looking for a pet. Our pets wag, wiggle and purr with the best of them and we have them in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages. In fact, if you’re considering a pet, head over for our Monsoon Muttness event on Saturday. We’ll have family fun, food and great specials from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.

It will take all of us working together to save more lives. Please join us.

Pets not only have to deal with soaring temperatures wearing their fur coats, but they rely on panting to cool down. That isn’t as effective as sweating, especially when they’re just breathing in hot air, and it can be a particular problem for those dogs with short muzzles, which are more prone to overheat because of compressed nasal passages.

• Car safety. A parked car can rapidly become a furnace. Even at 70 degrees, the temperature inside a car can rapidly approach 118 degrees. On days in the mid-90s, inside temperatures will reach 145 degrees. Never leave your pet in a parked car, even with the windows open. It’s against the law and it can be deadly.

• Walks. Sidewalks and asphalt can be blistering in the summer heat. Heat rising off the pavement can rapidly elevate your dog’s body temperature. If the pavement is too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for your pooch. Although it’s important for dogs to have regular walks, schedule them in cooler times of the day.

• Short cuts. Many dogs see their groomer for summer-friendly clips in the summer time, but make sure not to go too short, particularly if you have a light-colored dog with pink skin. Dogs can get sunburned just like you can. If your dogs are going to be out in the sun, make sure they have access to shade and plenty of water. It’s not a bad idea to use sunscreen on areas without as much hair, but make sure it’s free of zinc oxide.

• If your pet is showing any signs of heat stroke – excessive panting, difficulty breathing, vomiting, impaired movement – take him to the vet right away to avoid complications.

Pima Animal Care Center wishes everyone a safe summer.

Now that the community has voted for a favorite in a field of five worthy and adorable finalists, Oliver is returning the favor as the new face of responsible pet ownership for Pima Animal Care Center. A bit of a ham already, the ever-exuberant Oliver will be on posters in the community, encouraging owners to license their dogs.

Licensing is the law, but it also helps ensure our staff members can reunite you with your dog if he or she ever gets lost. Meanwhile, the $15 fee for a spayed or neutered dog helps us shelter abandoned animals and protect neighborhoods. And since rabies vaccinations are required for licensing, it helps ensure the whole community is safer.

Oliver will be enjoying a free photo session with pet photographer Ann-Eve Cunningham. And while poster dogs don’t have quite the dietary demands of other cover models, Oliver nevertheless will be donating his treats back to the shelter pets at Pima Animal Care Center.

Oliver is no stranger to high-profile roles. Since being adopted, Oliver has become a Certified Pet Therapy dog, making regular visits to local hospitals and assisted living homes. He also raises awareness about pet adoption and rescue as an ambassador for TheShelterPetProject.org, a national public service adoption and rescue campaign. To learn more about Oliver, check out http://www.followoliver.com/.

“It is such an honor and joy every day to share my little rescue dog with his giant spirit,” said Oliver’s pet mom, Laurie Gaetano. “It means so much that Oliver gets to represent shelter pets as part of this campaign!”

Of course, there are many great dogs just like Oliver waiting for love, so if you’re looking for a pet, please visit our adoption center at 4000 N. Silverbell Road, or visit www.pima.gov/animalcare.

Photos: Scott Rich Photography

Just out of high school, she brought the rooster in to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, saw a “we’re hiring” notice, and has been working with animals ever since.

Now, as the first full-time staff member at Pima Animal Care Center dedicated solely to adoptions, her whole focus will be on helping pets find their new homes, both in the Silverbell adoption center and at off-site events, such as baseball games, home shows, fairs and storefronts.

Both are key, she said. While there are more adoptions in a given day at the shelter, the off-site events are important for exposure and as a reminder that the adoption center at 4000 N. Silverbell has great options when it’s time to adopt another pet.

With the shelter doing a few off-site adoption events a month, her goal is to increase that over the near short-term to once a week, with an eventual goal of doing seven.

Beaubien is not new to Pima Animal Care Center, serving as the shelter supervisor since 2009. It’s a tough job, and that experience is fueling her in the new role, she said. “The motivation that I have to save more is really a driving force for me,” she said. “I won’t stop.”

The owner of two pitbulls, Beaubien said there’s a reason she likes the challenge of her job. “There’s nothing stagnant about this environment. There’s something new and exciting every day.”

Over her desk is a placard reading, “Dwell in possibility.”

“The possibilities really are endless, so why not embrace them?” she asks.

There are two ways to help Beaubien reach her goals. If you have a business or an upcoming event and would be willing to share some space with some of our adorable pets for a day, she’d love to speak with you. Ditto if you have some time to help volunteer at those events. Give her a jingle at 243-5962 if you can assist.

Families have added to their “packs” because our volunteers have helped make great love matches.

Thirteen of our dogs visited the Pima County Fair last weekend and found new homes because volunteers helped staff our booth.

And this weekend, volunteers will be armed with paint brushes to spruce up the walls of the shelter.

In honor of National Volunteer Week, which was established in 1974 and runs through April 27, Pima Animal Care Center celebrates the extraordinary individuals who make such a difference in this community by opening their hearts to animals waiting for a second chance at happiness.

“It really does take an entire community working together to make things better,” said José Ocaño, the volunteer coordinator for Pima Animal Care Center. “Every single volunteer who gives of their time makes a tremendous impact. We couldn’t face the critical challenges we have to address every day without them and we are deeply appreciative.”

Want to help? In a 45-minute Open House on Saturday, April 27, at 1 p.m., we’ll share all the information you’ll need to see how you can help our animals find new homes and to help our adoption center be the best it can be.

If this Saturday won’t work, we have plenty more sessions coming up. Please visit http://www.pimaanimalcare.org/aboutus/calendar.asp

A lint roller may now be part of your morning routine.

Kneading paws or assorted vocal stylings may replace your alarm clock.

If you ever move something heavy, rest assured that a particular little furball may develop a pitch-perfect knack for getting in the way.

And you may on occasion find yourself stumped that a seemingly interminable game of ball is so powerful in its allure to your furry friend.

Naturally, you wouldn’t have it any other way.

And that’s why Pima Animal Care Center would like to give a big shout-out on National Pet Parents Day for all you do to provide warm, stable homes for your four-legged little buddies.

Pets give so much back in return, from encouraging physical activity to counteracting isolation. They may even provide some health benefits, including decreasing blood pressure. For a more comprehensive list of potential benefits, please visit http://pets.webmd.com/ss/slideshow-pets-improve-your-health.

Want to be a Pet Parent? We’d love to help you find your match. We’ll be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on National Pet Parents Day at 4000 N. Silverbell Road.

Sure, licensing is the law, but what owners should know is that it also helps protect their pets. If they ever get loose, a license helps us know where they belong so we can reunite your family. Plus, the license fee – $15 a year for a dog that’s been spayed or neutered – helps us do our job protecting animals from cruelty, sheltering strays and responding to dog bite calls.

Now that the Sheriff’s Department has selected the five finalists – Laila, Checkers, Chaps, Neil and Oliver – it’s your chance to read a little about them and let us know whose whiskered face has the license to steal some hearts and encourage responsible pet ownership.

Please visit http://www.pima.gov/vote/

You can only vote once and the deadline will be midnight, May 5.