Foster a Pet through Pima Animal Care

Be A PACC Foster Hero!

As Pima County’s only open-admissions shelter, we never turn away a pet in need. Foster caregivers save lives of orphaned puppies and kittens as well as pets who are recovering from illness or injury and need extra TLC to heal and become ready for adoption. Most all PACC pets are available for foster and we welcome fosters who can take pets for any length of time.

We need fosters the most for

• Field trips and overnights for adult dogs. Short term foster placement gives our dogs a much-needed break to decompress from the stress of shelter life. It’s a great way to try our fostering because it’s a small commitment that can make a huge difference to a homeless dog!
• Orphaned puppies and kittens and for moms with litters. There is simply nothing cuter than tiny kittens and puppies. Foster is the perfect way to help them survive until they’re old enough to be adopted.
• Pets recovering from sickness or injury
• Adult pets who have spent more than 30 days in the shelter. Most of our pets are adopted quickly, but some dogs and cats, through no fault of their own, are passed over time and time again and sometimes wait months to find a home. These ‘hidden gems’ often just need to get out of the shelter and their foster caregivers even help find them adopters!

How to foster

1. Come to PACC during open hours and meet with one of our four foster coordinators who can help you get started and even send you home with a foster pet the same day!
2. E-mail the foster coordinators at pacc.foster@pima.gov
3. Fill out a foster profile so we can help you get started fostering right away.
4. When you take home your foster pet, you will receive the foster manual and you will sign our foster contract.

What you need

• For some pets, you just need to be ready to open your home to a foster pet. For pets with special medical or behavioral needs, you will receive training.
• Fosters provide food and treats for their foster pets. Depending on the pet, we may send you home with toys, food, treats and/or a kennel.
• If you have other pets or children at home, your foster coordinator will tell you how to safely do introductions. We have foster pets for just about every home so come meet some of the pets who need you the most.