Poverty's Pets

We are so grateful to for working with Porter and for volunteering their time, services, and expertise.

Porter is having a fun holiday weekend. It is all business when it comes to that pup cup. And soon, the skies above Porter will sound like a war zone, and it will be scary. But he'll be inside and safe.

Tonight, we hope all animals affected by the fireworks—our beloved companion animals, shelter animals, and wildlife—stay as safe as Porter. Our thoughts are also with the veterans for whom this night can be especially difficult.

With the new anti-tethering ordinance on the horizon, education and community outreach will be more important than ever.

This dog spent his life at the end of a chain. Like so many tethered dogs we encounter, he had a fully enclosed yard, yet he was still confined by a chain. Soon, using a tether as a means of confinement will no longer be an option.

That said, a dog living outside 24/7 in Arizona's brutal heat is still a life of suffering. While items like shade, elevated cot beds, and kiddie pools can help dogs survive the summer, they are not a substitute for proper care and companionship. These situations also provide an opportunity to educate owners and offer resources that can improve the lives of their pets.

As for this sweet boy, we always conduct follow-up visits after contacting the appropriate authorities on a dog's behalf. We were unable to connect with the owner during this visit, as we had hoped to deliver a few kiddie pools to help keep him cooler. The good news....he was off of the chain.

We were contacted by a concerned woman who said her neighbor kept two dogs confined to an outdoor pen 24/7. She told us the dogs cried constantly and she didn't know what to do.

When we visited the property, the owner explained that the dogs were kept outside because they urinated in the house. A third dog had inside/outside access and free run of the enclosed backyard. It was clear the owner did not want the two dogs in the pen and asked if we could take them.

One of the dogs is a puppy, only about 10 weeks old. The other, a white pug mix, appears to be around a year old. She is not the puppy's mother, and we do not know how either dog came into the owner's possession.

The good news is that the puppy has already landed a wonderful home. Now we are looking for a rescue partner willing to help the white pug mix. She is understandably timid, but she is also incredibly sweet and deserves the chance to be someone's beloved companion instead of spending her life in a pen.

If you are a rescue that can help, please reach out.