Oscar, a Boxer awaiting adoption at Pima Animal Care Center, got a bit of stage fright Thursday when surrounded by camera-toting humans waiting to watch him eat a bowl of dog food.
Two others, a young chihuahua-mix and a pit bull named Tank, chowed down with enthusiasm.
The crowd included Rocky Kanaka, the host of “Save our Shelter” on the CW Network, and founder and CEO of Dog for Dog.
The dog-food taste test was tied to the donation and delivery of 150,000 pounds of Dog for Dog brand kibble to the county shelter through PetSmart Charities.
Karen Hollish, PACC’s director of marketing and development, said she expected the donated food could last at least a year and a half, even with 20,000 dogs expected to pass through the shelter during that time.
PACC, Pima County’s only open-admission shelter, typically spends more than $80,000 a year on dry dog food.
Thursday’s donation, Hollish said, allows the shelter to use its limited funds to provide services, such as veterinary care, for pets in need.
The donation was part of a million meals initiative of PetSmart’s philanthropic pet food brands that reached more than 20 animal welfare organizations and pet food banks nationwide.
Hollish said PACC received the largest share — the equivalent of nearly 300,000 meals, which is the largest pet food donation the shelter has received.
“We have worked really hard to build a good partnership with PetSmart and PetSmart Charities,” said Hollish.
“From trap-neuter-return for community cats, to offsite adoptions at PetSmart, to this latest gift of food, PetSmart Charities has been behind almost every single positive change that’s happened for our pets,” Hollish said.
Over the last two years, PetSmart Charities has invested more than $1 million into Pima County to help PACC become a shelter where more than 90 percent of the pets it takes in are saved, she said.
“We are always looking to collaborate with local animal welfare organizations that are just as passionate as we are about helping pets in need,” David Haworth, DVM and president of PetSmart Charities in the U.S. and Canada said in a news release.
“The Pima Animal Care Center has been our gateway into the Tucson community’s pet needs and we know they will be able to make a significant impact with this milestone donation.”
