Poverty's Pets

What a ride it has been for Big Red. This handsome fella's life took a turn for the better when he walked into a humane trap back in May. His caregiver explained to the trapper that "the big orange cat never opens his eyes."

Our feral cat clinics are both rewarding and difficult as we do our best to address every medical need, regardless of whether the cats are friendly or feral. As for Big Red, we quickly recognized that he was a sweet boy, and returning his beat-up body to the streets with a painful medical condition weighed heavily on us.

Today, after two rounds of entropion surgery and a dental that has left him with just five teefers, Big Red is all tuned up and has a home.

Thank you to everyone who donated toward his surgeries, and to his foster, who is now this handsome gentleman's forever family. Big Red is finally living his best life.

The most dreaded holiday of the year has arrived—for our veterans, animal shelters, emergency veterinary clinics, and countless dogs and cats.

Over the next 48 hours, our skies will become a war zone. Beloved pets will panic, jump fences, become injured, go missing, and some will die. Even dogs who weren't frightened by the fireworks last Fourth of July may react very differently this year.

Please bring your pets inside, make sure they are wearing identification, educate your neighbors, and keep an eye out for terrified dogs and cats that may need help.

As our country celebrates Independence Day, the noise and explosions leave a devastating impact on our environment and cause immense fear for both people and animals. Those of us on the front lines of animal rescue dread these next 48 hours because we know many pets will still be missing long after the fireworks end—and heartbreakingly, many will never make it home.

Please celebrate responsibly. Happy Fourth of July.

A few concerning facts regarding this tethered dog....the west facing sun will soon be a direct hit. His shelter, the igloo, is an oven—in fact, it is choice housing for dogs in Alaska during winter, not a brutal summer day in Phoenix. As for his water, if there was any left, it was not visible to us.
Tethering will soon be illegal 24/7. But today, the temperature had to hit 100 degrees before it became illegal. We called AHS on behalf of this dog. Tethering a dog is cruel confinement. Hopefully the next time we check on him, he will be off of the chain. If you see a dog tethered, please call the Arizona Humane Society, 602.997.7585 or the Phoenix PD, 602.262.6151.

Disclaimer: Poverty’s Pets does not share addresses for liability reasons, nor do we take or remove owned animals. All outreach is conducted under established protocol and in coordination with appropriate authorities.

"Who are you? And how did you get my number?" You gave it to me a few years ago, and I kept it. You helped me before."

That is how the phone conversation started.

And yes, it all came back. The nice man who runs the junkyard on Van Buren. He found a kitten, crying and covered in oil.

This sweet kitten is now in our care. She is fragile, but we think she will be okay.
We are grateful to the man who kept a volunteer's number in his back pocket all these years. Sometimes, the smallest acts of kindness can save a life.