Now hear this: Local animal lovers can help pets in need by joining Ride With the PACC (Pima Animal Care Center) — or supporting one of their 58 cyclists — in El Tour de Tucson on Nov. 19.
The group of volunteers are members of Friends of PACC, the nonprofit affiliate support group for PACC, the only admission shelter in the county that takes in about 19,000 pets in need every year.
“Every dollar makes an incredible difference, and we have a dedicated team of ‘FUN’Driders whose efforts are invaluable to helping more animals while also bringing awareness to the needs of PACC. The funds we raise with Friends of PACC are meant to help some of the hardest-to-place animals. We have lots of hardship cases and animals with medical issues that take extra love or attention and sometimes that translates into extra resources,” said Torre Chisolm, development director of PACC.
Hardship cases have increased significantly at PACC and nationwide because of pandemic-related issues, according to volunteer Ursula Schwarz, who is also a member of Ride With the PACC.
“During the pandemic it was almost impossible to see a vet, and many of the free spaying and neutering programs ended, so people weren’t able to get dogs spayed or neutered, and there has been an explosion of puppies. There have also been so many evictions and other financial hardships, and people are not able to afford pet care. This is a nationwide problem and something needs to be done,” said Schwarz.
As of last week, the shelter housed more than 140 cats and 564 dogs. Schwarz said the dogs in the kennels included more than 200 “long stays,” or dogs that had been at PACC for more than 30 days. She is advocating for several that have been in the shelter for more than six months, including Kylo, a boxer-mix.
“When dogs have been there for longer than six months, some actually become sort of resigned, like ‘This is my life.’ Others endlessly spin in the kennel or bark or withdraw or become a bite risk. … Personally, I think the smarter the dog, the less they can handle it,” said Schwarz.
The longtime supporter of PACC does all she can to help mitigate the problems. She plans to ride in her 20th El Tour and use the funds she raises for noise abatement at the shelter, which has been at capacity for months. The crowded conditions — many kennels contain two dogs — cause a noise level that can be unhealthy for people and animals, according to Schwarz.
“I have an app that measures the noise, and I have looked up the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommendations. Anything over 70 at a sustained level is not good and may cause hearing loss in people. I have measured it at 119 at times, so you can imagine how it impacts the dogs,” said Schwarz, who has raised more than $6,500 toward the cause.
Chisolm said that Friends of PACC is working with Pima County to develop possible solutions to address the noise, which can be overwhelming for volunteers and visitors as well as pets.
“The volume can lead to additional stress for the animals, which makes it harder for them to show their personalities to families who want to adopt. It is also stressful for the adopters. This needs to be a comfortable space and acoustic abatement will go a long way toward helping four-legged and two-legged users at PACC,” said Chisolm.
Other funds raised in 2022 by Ride With the PACC total more than $11,000 to date and will be used for a variety of programs and services including general funds; behavior training; emergency medical funds; the Safety Net Program, which takes in pets in need of temporary foster care when their people have experienced an emergency; the Decompression Program for scared, under-socialized dogs; and Dog Enrichment for dogs in isolation.
Schwarz said all of these programs are vital to the health of the animals, and she is working hard to promote awareness about their presence in the community.
“I am surprised about how many people don’t know about PACC. Maybe that is why people who have lost pets and are looking for them don’t think about going to PACC. Community awareness is something that we are working on, and I think Ride With the PACC can help with that,” she said.
Cyclists who would like to join Ride With the PACC can register online at www.friendsofpacc.org/ridewiththepacc; if you don’t want to ride but want to support the cause and help the team reach its $25,000 goal, you can donate to other riders at www.pledgereg.com/pima-animal-care-center.
The 38th annual El Tour de Tucson had nearly 6,500 participants, with two international cyclists winning top spots.
Mexico's Gerardo Ulloa was the first to cross the finish line following Saturday's 102-mile bicycle race and Cuba's Marlies Mejías had the fastest time among female cyclists. Video by Jesse Tellez/Arizona Daily Star.
