Los Angeles animal shelters are creating space to increase capacity to take in more animals displaced from the California wildfires.
That’s why the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (HSSA), Pima Animal Care Center (PACC), and the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) have worked together to bring 70 dogs to Arizona, to find their forever homes.
On Saturday, the dogs were flown in by Wings of Rescue, a nonprofit that flies animals out of disaster areas to safety.
30 dogs were transferred to the Humane Society, 20 to PACC, and 20 to AHS in hopes of finding loving homes.
VIEW LARGER This dog was transferred to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona from California, due to the ongoing wildfires and will become available for adoption. For more information contact the HSSA. Monday, Jan. 25, 2027.
Katya Mendoza, AZPM News
The dogs were already in shelters in the LA area when the fires hit.
Jonathan Neuser with the Humane Society says the reason for taking in these dogs was to give previous owners a chance to reunite with their pets.
“By taking dogs that were already at the shelter, that frees up space for them to have room for all of these pets that have come in because of the fires,” Neuser said.
VIEW LARGER This dog was transferred to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona from California, due to the ongoing wildfires and will become available for adoption. For more information contact the HSSA. Monday, Jan. 25, 2027.
Katya Mendoza, AZPM News
“We worked with some local rescues and so we’ve already got a dozen dogs from PACC out into the rescue community, so they are available right now,” Steve Kozachik, interim director of PACC said.
Some dogs will be available for adoption at the Humane Society starting Tuesday.
Neuser added that there are other ways for locals to get involved in this rescue.
VIEW LARGER This dog was transferred to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona from California, due to the ongoing wildfires and will become available for adoption. For more information contact the HSSA. Monday, Jan. 25, 2027.
Katya Mendoza, AZPM News
“If people don’t have the capacity to take in a dog in their home right now, we are always looking for more volunteers to be dog walkers and help with dog enrichment here on campus,” Neuser said.
Kozachik echoed that sentiment stating that people can foster dogs for the day.
“Take it to a park, take it out for a night, take it home,” he said. “If you’re not sure, it really helps the animals to just get out of the kennel environment, get into a home and really decompress that way.”
He noted that the shelter is on standby, and ready to assist more animals if needed.
VIEW LARGER This dog was transferred to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona from California, due to the ongoing wildfires and will become available for adoption. For more information contact the HSSA. Monday, Jan. 25, 2027.
Currently, PACC has 487 dogs and 150 cats in its care and the HSSA has 97 dogs and 25 cats.
Adoption fees at PACC and Humane Society have been waived for all dogs of any size.
“Shelters throughout the country are facing the same kinds of problems and that is pet owners who do not alter their dogs…The responsible thing to do of course is to spay and neuter your animal,” Kozachik said. “That’s ultimately going to be the answer to the problem and we’re not unique in Tucson and Pima County, every shelter in the country is facing the same thing.”
For more information on how to adopt, foster or donate, visit the Humane Society of Southern Arizona and Pima Animal Care Center websites.
