Poverty's Pets

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Poverty's Pets

Poverty's Pets supports under-served communities with a focus on spay/neuter & community education.

Poverty’s Pets was incorporated in 2005 under the direction of the Founder and Animal Advocate, Kate Sivolella and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. With a mission of aiding abandoned, neglected, and abused companion animals in low-income and underserved communities, Poverty’s Pets also provides education programs and veterinary care services (including spay/neuter) to families in the low-incom

e areas of Phoenix, AZ. In addition to these initiatives, Poverty’s Pets partners with local schools to educate students on the respect and welfare for all beings, and to promote positive interactions between the dogs and students. Since 2008, Poverty’s Pets has facilitated the adoption of over 1000 animals, provides medical services (including spay and neuter) to over 800 each year. With a compassionate volunteer network, it is Poverty’s Pets goal to end animal cruelty, suffering, overpopulation and homelessness.

11/06/2025

We are scrambling to help two dogs — seemingly a mama and her surviving pup — who were dumped. Three dogs were pushed out of a vehicle in front of a food truck business. One was immediately struck by a car and didn’t survive.
The remaining two — sweet, docile souls — are clinging to each other. Mama is about 35 lbs, her pup is around 20 lbs.

We are desperate to find a rescue that can intake this little family. Born to suffer… and still they trust.

11/04/2025

What a week it’s been for Charlie and Murphy! Yes, Charlie and Murphy — not Charlotte and Muffy as we once thought 🤭. Turns out these “sisters” are actually brothers! The boys are gaining confidence by the day, thanks to their wonderful foster family and their patient fur siblings who are showing them how it’s done. Soon enough, Charlie and Murphy will be all tuned up and ready for the next leg of their journey. Stay tuned!

11/02/2025

Jazzy has left the building! Just a month ago, Jazzy was roaming Van Buren Street, following a homeless couple for three days. She was exhausted, her fur matted, her body worn from birthing litter after litter.

A big thank you to the multiple fosters who worked together to help Jazzy. A moment of your time was a lifetime to Jazzy.

Today, Jazzy is continuing her journey with her sister Bella — a Poverty’s Pets alum who has survived her own share of cruelty and neglect. The girls have already bonded, and now they have each other. They will live their best lives together. This, my friends, is what a happy ending looks like.

11/01/2025

One week from today!
Poverty’s Pets is celebrating 20 years of compassion, community, and countless lives saved!

Join us for a celebration filled with amazing raffle and silent auction items — a weekend getaway to Munds Park, Phoenix Suns and Mercury tickets, and stunning artwork by local mural artists.

Enjoy food, drinks, music, and great company — it’s a celebration, a family affair, and one you won’t want to miss!

10/27/2025

When we help a family or an individual, we often become their one and only resource.
“Do you remember me?” they’ll ask. “You helped me spay my dog.”

Yesterday, a woman reached out to us. About a year ago, we helped her spay and neuter her pack of dogs. This time, two dogs had been abandoned right in front of her home. She gave them food and water, but as the days passed, she didn’t know what else to do.

Those two siblings are now safe with us. They were treated for ticks, a bit matted but otherwise in good health. What they lack is confidence—they’re timid and unsure. A shelter environment would be far too overwhelming for them. What they need now is a soft place to land.

The streets of Phoenix’s underserved communities are overflowing with unwanted companion animals. The madness is not sustainable—it’s heartbreaking and exhausting. So much needless suffering. We’ll be reaching out to our rescue partners to find a safe, gentle space for these girls. They deserve the chance to learn what it feels like to live… not just to survive.

10/26/2025

The girls are ready to find forever homes!

Dottie and Marshmallow are officially ready to go through our foster-to-adopt program!

What does that mean, you ask? It’s simple! Fill out an application at www.PovertysPets.org. If accepted, you will foster Dottie and/or Marshmallow until the girls are fully tuned up — that means shots, spay, and microchip. Once they are all tuned up, it becomes official with the stroke of a pen.

Dottie and Marshmallow are boxer/pit mixes, and both inherited those adorable boxer snoots. We’re so grateful these two will never have to endure what their sweet mama Peachy has. Peachy, who’s as kind and gentle as they come, and thriving surrounded by kindness, will soon be fully tuned up herself. We have promised her that we will find her a loving home as well.

10/24/2025

Last month, this sweet girl was found lying under a parked car right in front of the Columbus House. Without hesitation, we scooped her up, dewormed her, treated her for ticks, and gave her a name: Cupcake.

The plan was simple — rest, good food, and time to decompress. But within just a few days, it became clear that Cupcake’s condition was far more serious than exhaustion. She was fighting for her life.

Bloodwork revealed a severe case of tick fever. The disease had progressed to a critical point, and her life hung in the balance. The veterinarian recommended a blood transfusion — or, as a less aggressive option, fluids and immediate oral treatment. We are so happy, and honestly so relieved, that Cupcake responded to the latter.

Day by day, her spark is returning. Her personality is emerging, and she is beginning to feel well..perhaps for the first time.

We assume Cupcake’s past was harsh — a backyard dog, left to survive in brutal heat, covered in ticks, and never truly well. But those days are behind her now.

She will soon have her follow-up veterinary visit, and we’re hopeful this little fighter will earn a clean bill of health. After that, we’ll help Cupcake find what she’s always deserved — her happily ever after family.

10/21/2025

It’s been quite the two weeks for Jazzy! When she first crossed our path, she was exhausted and worn down. But what a joy it’s been to watch her recover and see her adorable personality come to life.

Jazzy is now in a foster home with her new friend, Tortellini, and two dogs she does nonstop zoomies with. She’s such a sweet girl who simply wants to be around people and her furry friends.

Jazzy was recently spayed — no more litters in her future. Those days are behind her now. She’s about four years old, and we can’t help but wonder what her life might have looked like if we hadn’t stepped in. What we do know is that her days ahead will be filled with comfort, joy, and love.

10/19/2025

Happy Sunday! We have quite the sweet, cute crew at The Columbus House patiently waiting for their forever home.

10/16/2025

We’ve been busy! The puppies are now in our care.

In just the last few days, a total of 18 puppies and two nursing moms were removed from one house. Eight dogs remain, and today they’ll be sterilized.

We’re currently working with to ensure this mama and her pups get the care they need.

The City of Phoenix is in a full-blown pet overpopulation crisis. Situations like this erupt overnight in our underserved communities. You open your door to help a dog in need—unaltered—and the madness begins.

This is a man-made mess that keeps repeating itself. Until affordable and accessible spay and neuter services become a priority, our shelters and rescues will forever be code red.

10/13/2025

We were given a tip about a home overrun by dogs — “maybe you can help them sterilize their dogs,” we were told. When we arrived, we were immediately overwhelmed by the situation. The woman who lives there was afraid to let us help at first, but we assured her: “We’re here to help, not judge.”

As in so many of these cases, when owners work with us, we respond with compassion and help them help their animals. That’s why we chose not to involve AHS or law enforcement. Over the weekend, we removed ten dogs from the property, and we’ll be sterilizing the eight adult dogs that remain — the ones the owner wants to keep.

Every dog pictured in this post is one the owner is begging us to help place. She simply cannot care for them, and they keep multiplying.

If any rescues can help with the remaining ten pups and their mama, please DM us or email [email protected]. Poverty’s Pets does not have the resources to foster or adopt out all of these dogs — we need rescue support.

Our community service work brings us face-to-face with the reality of animal welfare in underserved communities. These situations no longer surprise us — but they still weigh heavily on us.

10/12/2025

The last two feral cat clinics brought us to a property where a few of our volunteers have been working closely with a gentleman clearly overwhelmed by the feral cat overpopulation issue—through no fault of his own. His trailer, and the dozens of cats that call it home, are tucked out of sight from the street. We are grateful to a neighbor who pointed us in the right direction.

Our work here isn’t done. There are still more cats to be trapped and sterilized. Many are surprisingly social—leaning into a gentle touch, purring for attention. But they’re hungry. The man who lives there loves them deeply, even if he lacks the means to properly care for them.

It’s easy to judge when faced with such poverty. But that’s not why we are here. We’re here to help.
Thank you, team, for showing up with such compassion and commitment—for the community and for the animals.

Address

PO Box 40112
Phoenix, AZ
85067

Website

http://www.povertyspets.org/

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