The Arizona Humane Society treats thousands of animals each year. And now they’re on track to bring in more pets in 2026 than it has in a decade.
To accommodate that demand, the organization recently re-opened a trauma hospital at its old Sunnyslope campus in Phoenix.
Dr. Steven Hansen is the president and CEO of the Arizona Humane Society.
“So the reason that we decided to re-do this hospital is because it gives us much better access to the West Valley,” he explains.
And he says the remodeled facility gives them more space to treat these pets who might have more complex medical needs — the Arizona Humane Society also operates a 24/7 trauma hospital at its Papago Park facility.
Hansen says they expect to take in roughly 28,000 animals this year alone. And one reason for the rise in demand for these services is they’ve seen an increase in owners relinquishing their pets.
“Veterinary care has gone up substantially faster than the cost of living over the last few years,” Hasen said.
And it's putting a financial strain on families, he says.
“And the other issue is around housing. So we've got housing instability.”
Last year, more than 5,000 pets were relinquished. As of August this year, more than 4,000 pets have been surrendered — and that figure is expected to rise.
“So right now we have over 10 hoarding cases that we're working on to bring in with 300 animals,” he explains. “These are all kinds of different situations on how they occur, but these are situations where a family or a person has gotten overwhelmed. They have more than 10 animals. They're usually in very, very poor health.”
So now they can come to this animal hospital for treatment.
The Arizona Humane Society relies on volunteers to provide foster homes and help care for these animals until they’re ready for adoption.
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