Pima Animal Care Center is hoping free adoptions at its fourth annual Fall Festival Sunday will help more animals find homes after adoptions slipped from last October.

The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, at 4000 N. Silverbell Road and will include games, food, music and giveaways.

Anyone who adopts a dog will go home with a doggie jacket and a free toy, and cat adopters will take home a toy and a treat.

The shelter will be closed Nov. 26 and 27 for Thanksgiving, though animals in its care can still be viewed on its website.

The event comes as the shelter encourages the community to help pets find homes and ease pressure on the shelter.

Animals arrive at the shelter for a variety of reasons, including being found as strays, owner surrenders, confiscations, evictions and families who can no longer care for their pets.

The shelter recorded 1,268 live animal intakes in October, compared with 1,364 during October 2025, according to PACC data.

Stray intake has remained relatively consistent, with 790 stray animals entering the shelter in October, similar to the 794 the shelter recorded in October 2025.

But adoptions declined. PACC reported 785 adoptions in October, compared with 872 the previous year. PACC data also showed a decrease in foster placements from 544 in October 2025 to 483 this October.

That means October adoptions fell about 10% from a year earlier, while intake dropped about 7%. Foster placements fell about 11%.

PACC also has a second place to adopt on the east side. The Eastside PACC Adoption Center at 7225 E. Broadway Blvd. opened in June with more than $1 million in donations raised by Friends of PACC. It can hold up to 50 pets, and PACC expects it to support up to 2,400 more adoptions a year.

By the center’s Sept. 26 grand opening, more than 350 pets had been adopted from the new location, and 23 dogs and 17 cats went home on opening day. The main shelter, at Grant and Silverbell roads, takes in 19,000 to 23,000 pets a year.

PACC has also handled several hoarding cases this year, most recently in September, when Tucson Police asked the center’s Animal Protection Officers for help at a home near West Irvington Road and South 12th Avenue. More than 25 dogs were seized. The shelter is now looking for adopters for the young dogs from that case.

Pima Animal Care Center did not respond to requests for comment.

Some potential adopters are already making plans.

“We’re planning on adopting a dog next week,” said potential adopter Londyn Coker. “I was always thinking about getting a lab. There are two dogs that we really like. One is a black lab.”

Another potential adopter has been getting to know the dogs at the shelter ahead of the event.

“Most of the dogs we see here are really sweet, other than the ones that bark in your face but most of them are just scared,” said Jeseca Mutuvi.

For community members who cannot adopt, PACC offers other ways to support animals, including volunteering, fostering and donating.

Abril Ruiz is a student at the University of Arizona School of Journalism and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at abrilruiz@arizona.edu.

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