Crime & Safety
43 Pets Rescued In Tucson Hoarding Case Prompt Adoption Specials
The Pima County Animal Care Center is offering two adoption specials to make room for 43 pets rescued in an animal hoarding case.
TUCSON, AZ — Nearly four dozen cats, dogs and turtles were rescued from unsafe and unsanitary conditions in a trailer on Tucson’s south side this week, and two people face animal cruelty charges in the pet hoarding case, authorities said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said it is continuing its investigation. The two who were arrested are 43-year-old Andres Contreras and 32-year-old Joylynn Severns.
The health of the pets — 34 cats, three dogs and a puppy, and five turtles — is currently being evaluated by the Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson. On an average, day the shelter takes in from 50 to 100 animals, and it was already bulging with 1,590 other animals when it received the 43 pets that were seized Wednesday from a camping trailer at a Bureau of Land Management site at San Joaquin Rd and Ajo Highway.
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Shelter officials said in a news release they are seeking people to adopt or foster pets to make room for the animals that need immediate care. As incentive, the shelter is offering two adoption specials — cats that are 4 months or older are available for adoption free of charge, and those wishing to adopt dogs 4 months or older and weigh at least 30 pounds can “name their own price,” according to the release.
Those interested can send an email to PACC.foster@pima.gov, or visit them in person at 4000 N. Silverbell Road.
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Sarah Girvin, an animal protection service officer who responded to the call, told news station KOLD that two of the dogs were tied up under the hot desert sun and a dead cat was found inside the filthy trailer. Another cat had to be euthanized.
“Just cats scattering and there was feces all over the floor,” she told the news outlet. “There was a giant mattress that was covered in feces …and just a bunch of boxes. It looked like just a storage trailer almost.”
The rescued cats have severe respiratory issues and are under quarantine at the Pima County shelter. They will be available for adoption once they are found to be healthy, the release said.
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