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A History of the Phoenix Animal Care Coalition PACC911 Brochure
Bari Mears: The Leader of the PACC911
by Debra J. White
At least 60,000 healthy dogs and cats die every year in Maricopa County. The staggering euthanasia rate began to chip away at Phoenix resident and animal lover Bari Mears. Mears, already a board member with the Animal Benefits Club, a small no-kill shelter based in Phoenix, had attended a Chicago conference in 1998. There she learned about Maddie's Fund, a nonprofit established by computer software giant Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl. Its mission was to help shelter animals through a commitment to creating a no-kill nation. Mears was uplifted, but still faced a challenge back home. Unless Phoenix shelters and rescue groups banded together to increase adoptions, they'd never be able to reach the ideals established by Maddie's Fund.
After leaving Chicago "that became my mission," Mears says. "To bring the Phoenix animal shelter community into a functioning coalition so we, too, could tap into this wonderful new resource. Somehow we had to work as a team, so the animals wouldn't suffer."
For years, Phoenix was tarnished with one of the worst pet overpopulation problems in the country. Euthanasia rates were soaring, animals lingered in packed shelters, and there was little communication among the groups.
That's when Mears decided to create PACC911 (the Phoenix Animal Care Coalition), originally known as the Pets 911 Auxiliary, which she formed in 1999.
"I was nervous at first," says Mears, a 26-year account executive veteran in the broadcast industry. "Saving lives was my entire motivation. Someone had to do it, and why not me?"
To achieve her goal, Mears needed help. She recruited Cindy Gordon, who has been with the organization since its inception. Gordon serves as board secretary and uses her organizational skills so activities run smoothly.
Other board members followed. Eileen Proctor, former owner of the award-winning It's A Ruff Luff Dog Day Care, met Mears at a community event in 2003.
"Bari asked me how I could become more involved with the PACC911 and asked me to serve on the board, a role which I gladly accepted," says Proctor. The pair quickly developed a friendship and shared ideas about fund raising, networking, and building community partnerships. "Bari is a rare talent who uses her much-needed diplomatic skills and serves as a unifying force within our community for the benefit of the animals. I'm forever grateful to her for directing and encouraging me in these areas."
Realizing the public often shies away from animal shelters because of pet overcrowding or dilapidated building conditions, Mears and her dedicated board of directors, organized a series of successful animal adopt-a-thons throughout the Phoenix area.
"We badgered churches, food stores, park managers, anyone who would host us," Mears says of the early days. "We wanted the community to get involved too."
And get involved it did. The off-site adoptions took off and are now annual events at places like the Franciscan Renewal Center, DC Ranch, and Indian Steele Park. Off-site adoptions appeal to the 55-plus rescue groups that do not operate shelters, but house animals in foster homes or costly kennels. The events are so popular that some groups like Pet Allies and the Humane Society of the White Mountains drive several hours from Northern Arizona to attend, hoping their homeless pets also will find good homes.
"Off-site adoptions draw dogs and cats out of the shelter where they sometimes don't show well because of fear or unfamiliarity with cage life," says Paw Placement's Hilary Brose, also a PACC911 board member. "Dogs and cats get exposed to the public where they have a better chance for adoption."
Although hard data isn't available, hundreds of dogs and cats, some with special needs, have found forever homes as a result of the PACC911.
One such dog, Lady, a big brown seven-year-old mix, came into Maricopa County Animal Care and Control in October 2006 as a stray and was never reclaimed. For several weeks, Lady huddled in a small cramped cage wagging her tail, trying to entice someone into adopting her. At PACC911's huge two-day adoption event at the Franciscan Renewal Center that October, Lady waited outside the county's adoption van, winking her caramel-colored eyes at passersby.
Although nearly 250 dogs and cats were adopted that weekend, no one picked Lady. Fifteen minuted before closing time on Sunday, a middle-aged Phoenix resident named Nancy showed up. She had lost a treasured dog to illness earlier in the year and because her second dog is old and frail, she wanted a mild-mannered dog who wouldn't jump up or roughhouse. Lady fit the bill.
Now Lady goes on morning walks, scoots out the doggie door, sleeps on a comfy pillow, and has a life of leisure. If she had lingered at the shelter, her chances of adoption would have been slim to none. Age, breed, and length of time were stacked against her.
"Sometimes the greatest gifts come in a plain brown wrapper, such was the case with Lady," Mears says. "Adoptions like this are what pushes me to keep going." PACC911 board members along with Mears wept when Lady, flapping her tail, left with her new mom.
In addition to off-site adoptions, Mears has also been instrumental in setting up the Emergency Medical Fund (EMF), which rescue groups use to treat sick or injured animals in their care. Over the past three years, the EMF has disbursed almost $100,000 to nearly 50 rescue groups in the Phoenix area.
For small operations like Finding Fido that squeak by on threadbare budgets, the EMF is a lifesaver. "We only took in shaggy old dogs like Casey, Precious, and Phoebe because of the EMF," says Finding Fido director Pam Heine. "Had we not had access to this special fund, we couldn't have afforded treatment and these dogs would've died at the county shelter." Instead, Heine took them out of the shelter, brought them in for veterinary care, and waited until the right home came along.
Raising money requires clever and creative thinking, so Mears sometimes puts her literary talent to work. Among the books she's published and sold are Simply Delicious, a collection of recipes from local pet guardians, including Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Another popular book was a collection of Mears' poems called Ode to Those Who Stand on Four, a heartfelt poetry collection about pets and the people who save them. And then there was Love Stories of Pets and Their People, which famous maestro and TV personality Doc Severinsen traveled to Phoenix from his southern California home to help promote. With book sales going directly to the EMF, they've served as the main source of funding.
Mears' contributions have not gone unnoticed. Last year she received the Hero of the Year award, presented annually by the Friends of Animal Care and Control to the person who best exemplifies dedication and commitment to the animals in Maricopa County. "Bari Mears has for years been a friend and advocate to homeless animals," says Ann Damiano, 2006 Hero Awards Chair. "Friends of Animal Care and Control felt she was the perfect choice for our 2006 Humane Hero of the Year."
Besides coordinating off-site adoptions and plugging away to shore up the EMF, Mears also oversees all aspects of the PACC911, including Bowl-A-Rama, the groups major fund raiser, held the first Saturday in August. Proctor chairs Bowl-A-Rama and also coordinates this hugely successful money maker. This year PACC911 will celebrate the sixth annual Bowl-A-Rama under Proctor's direction, which has drawn the support of Governor Janet Napolitano, and mayors Phil Gordon of Phoenix, Mary Manross of Scottsdale, and Elaine Scruggs of Glendale. In five years, Bowl-A-Rama has raised almost 1 million for local animal welfare groups.
Meanwhile, Mears continues to snoop for new fund raising partners and venues for off-site adoptions. "People see me and run the other way," she says. "I say, 'Wait, get out your checkbook first!' or I tell them how they can help in other ways." She has become known as a first-class pooch mooch.
But Mears keeps going. "[It's] my love for the animals," she says. "It's really that simple."
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