Animal Shelters & Rescues in Tucson

Tucson's public shelter is run by Pima County, and private humane societies and volunteer rescues, many of them foster-based with no building, rehome pets too. If you have lost or found a pet, start with the county shelter; use the listings below to find rescues and other shelters near you.

The city animal shelter

Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) is a Pima County agency and calls itself the community's only open-admission shelter. It takes in strays and holds adoptable dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. PACC also issues dog licenses for Tucson: the county's licensing platform says PACC provides licensing services for unincorporated Pima County, Oro Valley, Tucson and South Tucson. Marana and Sahuarita run their own animal services, so residents there contact their town instead.

Found a stray or lost your pet

PACC's found-pet steps ask you to try to find the owner before bringing a healthy, friendly stray to the shelter: post the pet on a national lost-and-found database, talk to your neighbors, check the collar for tags and have the pet scanned for a microchip at any vet clinic or animal shelter. Sick or injured strays should be brought to PACC during open hours or reported to its animal protection dispatch line. Its lost-and-found FAQs explain that most pets are found within a mile of home and are more likely to get back home if kept in their neighborhood.

If you lost a pet, PACC's lost-pet page tells you to search the shelter's online listings of found cats and dogs, file a lost report, talk to neighbors and make sure your microchip information is up to date. Arizona law (ARS 11-1013) sets a minimum hold at a county pound of 72 hours for each stray dog or any cat not eligible for a sterilization program, or 120 hours if the animal has a microchip, a license or other owner identification. A cat eligible for a sterilization program that will be returned to where it was captured may be exempt, so act quickly.

Licenses and microchips

Pima County says every dog three months of age or older kept within the county for 30 days or longer must be vaccinated for rabies and licensed, and a license is good for no longer than a year and expires when the rabies vaccination expires. The county's licensing platform says dog licenses are required for all dogs living in Tucson. PACC's lost-and-found FAQs say to keep your microchip registration up to date.

Surrendering or rehoming a pet

PACC's rehoming page calls surrender a last resort and says its Pet Support Center may be able to help you keep your pet with supplies, veterinary funding, behavior help or a hardship foster program. If you must rehome, it suggests contacting whoever you got the pet from, spreading the word through friends and online, and using a rehoming website. It can accept owner surrenders only from owners in Pima County, and Marana and Sahuarita residents must contact their own town services.

Adopting a pet

PACC says all its adopted pets are microchipped, spayed or neutered and vaccinated. Meet the pet more than once if you can, ask what the shelter knows about its history and have your landlord's pet policy handy before you commit.

About these listings

Many listings here were added from public business data and have not been claimed yet. Ask the shelter or rescue directly about opening hours, adoptable pets and whether it takes surrenders. If you run one of these shelters or rescues, you can claim or correct its listing from its page.