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That鈥檚 Rolo鈥檚 department.

Messina鈥檚 3-year-old watchdog is a 120-pound mastiff mix with a wiry, brindle coat and a head the size of a basketball. When he barks, people think twice about getting too close to Messina and his stuff.

But Rolo was quiet 鈥� maybe even a little shy 鈥� two Sundays ago when Messina brought him in for a check-up during Pima Animal Care Center鈥檚 mobile veterinary clinic for homeless people鈥檚 pets.

The downtown clinic provides examinations, vaccinations and microchips injected under the skin to help identify animals that might wander off 鈥� more than $100 worth of services given out for free through PACC and its community partners.

Once their shots are up to date, the pets are also licensed during the clinic, so their owners can avoid possible citations they might not be able to pay.

鈥淭hese guys are great. They鈥檙e unsung heroes,鈥� Messina said. 鈥淲hen I get a more stable situation, I鈥檒l definitely be volunteering.鈥�

Most animals seen by clinic healthy, happy

The outreach event is held once a month at Z Mansion, the historic estate turned wedding venue on Church Avenue that hosts brunch and other services for needy people every Sunday.

About two dozen dogs and cats were treated during the Feb. 23 clinic, which is part of PACC鈥檚 broader Pup in Boots program for pet owners facing homelessness. Most of the patients were lap dogs. One woman loaded her terrier into an old bird cage and wheeled it in on a luggage cart.

鈥淧eople who don鈥檛 have money don鈥檛 love their pets any less than people who do,鈥� said veterinarian Erin O鈥橠onnell, who has been volunteering with the clinic for the past year. 鈥淭he human-animal bond is really important for the health of the human, not just for the benefit of the pet. Financial barriers shouldn鈥檛 be a reason for people not to be able to have a pet.鈥�

She said the animals she sees at Z Mansion are generally healthy, happy and well-bonded with their owners. 鈥淵ou just kind of know they鈥檙e members of the family,鈥� said O鈥橠onnell, co-owner and medical director of Northwest Pet Clinic, an 11-year-old practice in Tucson and Oro Valley.

D.J. Piche came to the mansion with his 16-year-old cat Princess Pei Pei and a chew-happy, 3-month-old puppy he found on Valentine鈥檚 Day and named Val Kilmer.

鈥淗e found me, actually,鈥� Piche said.

He had already picked up a donated sweater and collar for the terrier-chihuahua mix. Now Piche was waiting in line to get the pup vaccinated, licensed and microchipped.

鈥淚t makes being able to have a pet possible when you鈥檙e on a low income,鈥� he said of the clinic. 鈥淭o have this available for free means a pair of socks I will be able to afford.鈥�

Piche and his pets have an apartment now, but they weren鈥檛 always so lucky. He said he and Princess Pei Pei spent about four months living in his compact car while he was working an overnight job in Southern California.

鈥淭hat was an experience,鈥� Piche said.

Having his cat there with him helped make it bearable.

鈥淚t can be lonely,鈥� Piche said, as he cradled his wiggly puppy.

Pets can complicate or complement life on the streets

Bennett Simonsen is PACC鈥檚 community programs manager.

He said a pet isn鈥檛 an accessory or a luxury for someone who is living on the streets. 鈥淔or many people who are dealing with a crisis like homelessness, a pet is their grounding connection,鈥� Simonsen said.

But it can also complicate efforts to find housing. Shelters often don鈥檛 allow dogs, and some apartments won鈥檛 rent to people with pets 鈥� or if they do, they require the animals to be licensed and have their shots up to date.

PACC鈥檚 free vet clinic and other outreach efforts are not meant to encourage pet adoptions by people without stable housing. Simonsen said the services are designed to help the sort of people who would rather stay on the street, 鈥渁gainst their own welfare,鈥� than give up or abandon their pets.

On clinic days and other Sundays at Z Mansion, volunteers also pass out bags of donated food, leashes, collars, sweaters, beds, carriers, collapsible water bowls and booties to protect paws from the hot pavement in summer.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 been a huge part of the evolution 鈥� just hearing what people need,鈥� Simonsen said.

It was Marion Lambert鈥檚 idea to bring in vet services to go along with the pet supplies already being offered during Z Mansion鈥檚 weekly charitable event. She鈥檚 been volunteering with that effort for the past eight years.

Every Sunday, she helps distribute 200 gallon-sized bags of pet food donated by the local charity Cody鈥檚 Friends. She said providing free vaccines and microchips for homeless people鈥檚 pets was the next logical step.

鈥淧eople will say 鈥榯hey shouldn鈥檛 have a pet, they can鈥檛 even take care of themselves鈥�. I don鈥檛 believe that at all,鈥� Lambert said. 鈥淭his is their best friend. It鈥檚 all they鈥檝e got. And they take such good care of them.鈥�

That includes knowing when to ask for help.

Lambert recalled two occasions when someone showed up to Sunday brunch at the mansion with a dog they could no longer care for, including one in need of expensive rehabilitation care after being hit by a car.

Both of those dogs now live with her.

Devoted to their pets, whether they have homes or not

PACC鈥檚 free monthly vet clinic for the homeless served roughly 200 pet owners last year.

Volunteer Steve Woolridge said it鈥檚 not all cute puppies. One of the clinic鈥檚 regulars is a man with an old dog with cancer and sores all over its skin.

鈥淎 lot of people would give up on that dog and have him put down. He鈥檒l love that dog until the day it dies, and that鈥檚 just the way it is,鈥� said Woolridge, as he filled syringes with vaccines for rabies, distemper and parvo. 鈥淭he connection between them is awesome.鈥�

Messina usually comes to the monthly vet clinic with Rolo and his other dog, Chubs. Right now, though, the older Australian shepherd mix is staying with a 鈥渇oster family鈥� while he recuperates from surgery to remove an eye stricken with valley fever.

Messina said O鈥橠onnell and company diagnosed and treated Chubs for the fungal infection, then arranged to have the eye removed once it became clear that it couldn鈥檛 be saved.

鈥淭hey really helped me. I can鈥檛 imagine what that surgery would have cost me,鈥� he said.

PACC also helped reunite him with the dog once after it got lost and ended up at the animal shelter.

鈥淭hey personally brought Chubs back to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 consider them friends.鈥�

Though he has no permanent home of his own, Messina said his dogs never go without.

鈥淭hey eat even if I don鈥檛. They get water,鈥� he said.

In the summer, he finds someplace shady to stay, then picks up a cheap, plastic kiddie pool for the dogs to splash around in. And once a month or so, he brings them to the mansion downtown for a check-up.

鈥淎 responsible pet owner is a responsible pet owner,鈥� Messina said, 鈥渆ven in this situation.鈥�