Poverty's Pets

06/19/2026

We have called on this property numerous times over the years. It ebbs and flows with animal cruelty situations. In fact, over the last few months, we have been working with the family (yes, the house is occupied) because they had a litter of puppies roaming the property. We brought them puppy food and did our best to educate. A few times, children would be playing in the front yard while the puppies romped alongside them.

We also knew that time was of the essence to get the puppies out of there through the proper channels. They were always hungry, and they never seemed to have water.

Yesterday, we arrived in the morning with pools in tow. This visit was different from the previous ones. The puppies were tethered on the north side of the house. Pieces of wood being used for shade had fallen onto the ropes used to confine them. There was no water.

We propped the shade back and did the best we could to get some water into the pool, as there was no hose on the property. With every gallon we poured in, the puppies drank and drank.

The owner watched from inside the house as we worked to help his dogs.

Soon after, we called the Arizona Humane Society. This situation needed more than we could offer. Those puppies would not have survived once the sun reached them. Despite our continued visits and offers to help, this situation was beyond our ability to resolve.

Today we followed up with the Arizona Humane Society. We were told they had visited the property and have a follow-up visit scheduled. It is now up to them to help the animals on that property.

06/19/2026

You build it, they will come!

Today was a long day... but a very good day!

Thirty-eight companion animals were sterilized, and lots of dogs were treated for tick infestations. One little sweet doggie was sporting far too many ticks and a gigantic hernia. We are going to try to help her.

But the best news is that 38 companion animals will not contribute to our man-made pet overpopulation crisis.
We built it, and they came. Thanks team.

06/18/2026

Yesterday was a big legislative win! Today we are spaying and neutering.....40 plus animals. More later as we are BUSY!!

06/14/2026

This morning we received a call from the Arizona Humane Society regarding a tethered dog that we had reported.

The conversation perfectly illustrated how absurd Phoenix's current tethering ordinance is.

When we spoke with dispatch, an officer was already at the property. The dog was tethered with a rope attached to a cloth collar. The tether was approximately six feet long. Under the current law, all of that was legal because the temperature had not yet reached 100 degrees.

By the end of the conversation, the temperature hit 100 degrees.

Suddenly, the exact same dog, standing in the exact same spot, tethered in the exact same manner, became illegal.

Can anyone make sense of that?

For more than a decade, our city's tethering ordinance has allowed a dog's welfare to hinge on a number on a thermometer rather than the reality of its confinement. A dog doesn't magically begin to suffer the moment the temperature reaches 100 degrees.

This is why, on Wednesday, the Phoenix City Council will vote on legislation that would prohibit tethering regardless of the temperature.

Because tethering a dog is cruel confinement.

Please check out our pinned post:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CsUuKsudR/

for information on how to contact your Councilmember. Kindly ask them by email or phone to vote in favor of the anti-tethering legislation before them.

06/14/2026

06/13/2026

We are one step away.

This Wednesday, the Phoenix City Council will vote on legislation addressing the tethering of dogs—a measure Poverty's Pets has fought for for over a decade.

For those of you who live in Phoenix, please send a brief and polite email (or call) to your Councilmember. Identify yourself as a constituent and ask them to please support the animal ordinance which strengthens regulations on dog tethering.

Dogs deserve better than a life at the end of a chain.

CONTACT YOUR COUNCILMEMBER:

District 1 – Ann O'Brien
[email protected]
602-262-7444

District 2 – Jim Waring
[email protected]
602-262-7445

District 3 – Debra Stark
[email protected]
602-262-7441

District 4 – Laura Pastor
[email protected]
602-262-7447

District 5 – Betty Guardado
[email protected]
602-262-7446

District 6 – Kevin Robinson
[email protected]
602-262-7491

District 7 – Anna Hernandez
[email protected]
602-262-7492

District 8 – Kesha Hodge Washington
[email protected]
602-262-7493

Thank you for being their voice. If you would like to speak in favor of this legislation, you can do so in person or via video: https://www.phoenix.gov/administration/departments/cityclerk/programs-services/city-council-meetings.html

06/11/2026

The City of Phoenix has a raging animal neglect and overpopulation problem. Call it cruelty, call it neglect, call it whatever you want—the animals are the ones paying the price.

Poverty's Pets sees an incredible amount of suffering. Quite frankly, we only post about half of what we see because social media messes with our heads. The cruel comments, the armchair quarterbacking, the accusations that we're posting for "likes," or the constant suggestions to "just take the damn dogs" are exhausting.
Here's the reality: We cannot take every dog we encounter. We see dozens of dogs every month living in conditions people find upsetting. If the solution were as simple as loading them all into our vehicles and bringing them home, we'd do it. But rescue doesn't work that way. We don't have unlimited space, unlimited fosters, unlimited funding, or unlimited resources.
Our mission has always been to address the root cause of the problem through education and accessible spay and neuter services. If we don't stop the endless flow of unwanted litters, we will never rescue our way out of this crisis.

So instead of bitching at us for not taking every dog we post, write your Councilmember and ask what they are doing to address the animal overpopulation crisis in our city. Ask what they are doing to strengthen animal welfare laws. Ask what they are doing to stop the suffering that plays out every single day in neighborhoods across Phoenix. Because from where we sit, the people occupying those legislative seats are failing the animals.

Anyhow, we now have these two dogs, and they are absolute loves.
We need a rescue partner to help us help them.

06/10/2026

Sometime after 5:00 a.m., these cats were crammed into a small kennel and hoisted over a locked, four-foot metal gate. They were discovered around 6:30 a.m. There were EIGHT cats packed inside. Had they not been found when they were, they would have literally baked in the Arizona heat.

We called the Arizona Humane Society. They arrived, asked us, "What's going on with these cats?" and informed us they could not take them because "we are full," and then DROVE AWAY.

We hear this ALL THE TIME from residents in our underserved communities. AHS comes out and does nothing. We hear it over and over again.

We can't help but feel — and frankly, know — that if these cats had been dumped on a donor's property or in Arcadia, space would have been found. But we also know that AHS's PR department seems to be its most important department, not the animals.

But you know what organization never turns its back on us when we call?

HALO Animal Rescue

HALO has accepted hundreds of animals in need that have crossed our path. Today, when we reached out at 7:30 this morning, and again after the Arizona Human Society DROVE AWAY, made space.

They care about animals.

Please take a moment, if you can, to donate toward the care of these eight cats, who are now safely in HALO's care. They will be cared for, they will be loved, and they will find homes. Thank you, Halo.
Please donate: https://give.halorescue.org/campaign/651612/donate⁠

06/10/2026

Someone stuffed eight cats into a kennel and left them on a volunteer's property overnight. The cats were hoisted over a locked four-foot fence and left in the Arizona heat. Had our volunteer not found them when she did, all eight could have roasted in the sun.

Our volunteers work hard to help folks in the community, but we are not a shelter. The kennel was extremely heavy, and it was a 911 situation to get it dragged into the shade.

This act was desperate, but it was also unfair. Had these cats not been discovered, it would only have been a matter of time before all eight became an animal cruelty case.

Now what?

The cats seem healthy. Given how clean they are, we suspect they may have been indoor cats. They also seem tame as there has been no hissing. Unfortunately, we have absolutely nowhere for them to go and they have to remain in the kennel.

We are currently waiting for Maricopa County Animal Care & Control to open and are hoping for guidance on next steps. In the meantime, if a rescue organization is able to help, or if someone has the ability to foster or provide a safe placement for these cats, please reach out to us immediately.

And if anyone recognizes these cats or has information about where they came from, please contact us. Unfortunately there are no cameras on the property.

06/09/2026

Fifty-five feral cats were sterilized through our clinic. In addition to those 55, there were nine who were too sick or too tiny to be spayed or neutered.

Then what?

Three little babies were struggling and had to be rushed to VEG. The others needed something different—a soft landing spot. We networked, reached out, and worked to find places where they could be safe while they recovered and grew. We are still networking.

And today, as we type this, we are loading up the cats and returning them to their colonies. Many are just kittens.
That part is hard, too.

People see the number—55 cats sterilized—and it is something to celebrate. But there is always more to the story. There are the sick ones, the tiny ones, the emergencies, and the difficult goodbyes.
Still, 55 cats won't contribute to the cycle of unwanted litters, and for that, we are grateful. Thank you team....you all are special people!