By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A local nonprofit is providing low-cost and no-cost spay and neuter surgeries to manage pet overpopulation in Tucson.
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Tucson Action Team began offering the procedures at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Friends of PACC Community Clinic, located at 2661 N. First Ave. The multi-day event continues throughout the week.
The clinic comes as Pima Animal Care Center faces an outbreak of canine distemper and respiratory infections, shutting down intake. Eight dogs have tested positive for distemper, and one has died. Adoptions have been halted until animals are confirmed to be disease free.
The nonprofit’s goal is to reduce pet overpopulation by making spay and neuter procedures affordable.
“We see PACC at critical capacity year after year,” said Lara Iacobucci Paris, Tucson Action Team founder and CEO. “People have these ‘oopsie’ litters and just drop them off at PACC, and that creates so many more dogs.”
Paris said the growing population puts more dogs at risk for abuse, disease and abandonment.
Over the next four days, the nonprofit will perform procedures on more than 100 dogs. The organization has treated more than 800 dogs since it started.
Dog owners can fill out an online application explaining their pet’s condition. A member of the Tucson Action Team then reaches out to schedule an appointment. The clinic operates by appointment only, not on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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Organizers use social media, work with animal rescues and reach out to people experiencing homelessness to meet owners where they are.
“If you’re not driving or you have to ride the bus, you can’t take a dog home on the bus in a cone coming out of anesthesia,” Paris said.
Katie Bultman, Tucson Action Team spay neuter program manager, said the organization coordinates with clients to provide resources.
“We coordinate with our clients the idea of transportation, of supporting their spay neuter, of helping them get the resources they need to help them care for their dog post surgery,” Bultman said.
The organization’s goal is to reach 1,000 spays and neuters by the end of the summer. Tucson Action Team runs entirely on donations. To donate or learn more visit the Tucson Action Team website.
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