is an official Safe&Happy
partner of DocuPet

In Pinal County, pet license fees and donations are an important source for funding essential animal services at Pinal County Animal Care and Control (PCACC). When you license your pet, know that you are doing your part to help your local shelter workers care for lost, injured and abused animals. In fact, 100% of license fees are always given to PCACC.

PCACC receives 3,000 to 5,500 animals throughout the year. Even though the shelter is designed to accommodate around 140 dogs, it is usually overcrowded and often houses two to three times its capacity. To put it into perspective, caring for each animal costs roughly $15 daily.


In 2018, PCACC became the largest open-admission shelter in Pinal County to achieve a No-Kill status, with a live release rate of 92.7%. Now, the shelter focuses on providing quality care and enrichment to the animals and assisting the pet-owning community.

But why stop at license fees to support our local animals? We are proud to call PCACC an official Safe&Happy Partner. There are many ways to support their essential work, and we hope you’ll join us in our mission to provide them with all the help and resources they need.

“Licensing goes beyond verifying your pet’s vaccination status. When you license your pet, not only are you complying with the law, you are helping your local animal shelter and homeless pets.” -Erika Rodriguez, Program Coordinator.

PCACC needs our help

PCACC is committed to providing compassionate care and support for pets and pet owners, ensuring that pets are healthy, safe, and supported.

However, like many shelters, PCACC faces the difficult challenge of limited space and resources. This situation makes it challenging to provide the necessary care and support for all the animals in need. Despite these obstacles, the shelter staff works tirelessly to provide the best possible care to every animal in their care.

How to help:

License your pet

Licenses are an important part of PCACC’s operating budget and are crucial to supporting the shelter and providing the necessary care for animals in need. Plus, lost pets with licenses spend little to no time at the shelter, opening up resources for the pets that truly need them. License your pet here.

Make a donation

Give today to help PCACC provide essential care, nutritious food, and safe shelter for community animals. Donations support enrichment programs that enhance the lives of these animals and provide them with essentials such as collars, leashes, peanut butter, and treats. Donate here.

Volunteer

PCACC needs volunteers to help with playgroups, dog-walking activities, cat playtime, and adoption events. Your time and effort can make a significant impact on the well-being of these animals. Please consider volunteering at PCACC and helping spread love and kindness to our furry friends. Apply to volunteer here.

Shop DocuPet

20% of every designer tag purchase is given to PCACC. Shop to support here.

What is the Safe&Happy Fund?

We created our Safe&Happy Fund to provide animal organizations with as much funding as possible. We will always donate 20% of every designer tag sale to our Safe&Happy partners to provide additional funding for vulnerable animals and the staff that serves them. Pet owners are also presented with the option to make a donation to PCACC during the checkout process.

PCACC by the numbers

We hope that by providing residents with as much information as possible, the positive impact pet licenses have on the community is not just understood but valued.

Pinal County city tag

44

Staff
Members

367

Pets
Fostered

1,600

Pets
Adopted

3,500

Pets
Served

572

Lost Pets
Reunited

25

Volunteers

*Per year

More than just a shelter

Public Walkers

The Public Walkers program offers dog-walking services seven days a week to anyone interested. Show up to the shelter, and they will assign you a dog marked for a public walker!

You are free to walk as many dogs as you want, whether it's one or ten. This program not only benefits the dogs by getting them out of the kennels but also provides them with much-needed exposure to the community.

If a person is not able or not interested in directly handling animals, they can still assist with other tasks such as laundry and organizing donations.

Pet Food Bank

PCACC understands how important your pets are and strives to ensure that no pet goes hungry. Their Pet Food Bank Program assists people who are struggling to provide food for their furry friends with the first bag of food completely free of charge. In cases where additional bags are required, there is a nominal co-pay of $5 per bag. Learn more here.

*Subject to availability - contact the shelter directly.

Keeping Families Furry

PCACC truly believes that pets belong with their families, which is why it is committed to helping pet owners in need through its Keeping Families Furry program.

Whether you need help fixing your fence, buying a new dog house, or even building a dog run, PCACC is here to assist you. To learn more about the program, please call 520-509-3555 or click here.

*Subject to supply availability - contact the shelter directly.

Your license fees at work

Millions of pets enter shelters each year. The critical care, compassion and love that shelter workers and volunteers show these animals is unlimited, but the same unfortunately can’t be said for their budgets. When you license your pet, it isn’t just a fee – but rather, a lifeline – for animals like Theodore.

Theodore

Theodore was found as a stray at 6 months old. He was underweight, had an abnormal gait, and had a deformed-looking back leg. After being seen by the vet team, it was determined that he suffered from a broken pelvis and leg when he was much younger. This made it difficult and painful for him to walk.

Theodore was placed into foster care. His foster was able to find an orthopedic specialist, and together with PCACC’s partner, Friends of Pinal County Animal Shelter & Rescues, Theodore was able to get the complex surgery he needed. Theodore has since been adopted and will now live a pain-free life.

More about PCACC

We sat down with Erika Rodriguez, PCACC’s Program Coordinator, to learn more about the important work being done for local animals in need at PCACC.

What is most rewarding about being a part of your organization?
As a team, we are always looking for ways to evolve animal welfare for the better. From providing quality care to displaced animals in our community to helping our local pet owners while keeping neighborhoods safe.

In your words, why is it important for residents to license their pets, and what impact does that have on your organization and community as a whole?
Licensing keeps pet owners in compliance with the law and makes it easier to return lost pets home. Licensing also keeps pets and their owners safe from the negative consequences of rabies exposures and animal bites. Such as keeping your pet out of the shelter for quarantine!

What is something that makes your shelter unique?
Our shelter is always implementing new programs to distance ourselves from the label “dog pound” to a "care & resource facility."

What is the best piece of advice you have for pet owners?
Love your pets! Keep them safe by vaccinating, microchipping, and keeping them on leashes in public places.

Is there anything else you would like people to know about the organization?
Pinal County Animal Care & Control prioritizes saving animals, transparency, and making it easy for people to get involved.