We were founded in 1957 as a private nonprofit organization by a compassionate group of volunteers who recognized the need to end animal suffering in our community. Our first shelter opened in north Phoenix's Sunnyslope area with the goal of placing unwanted or abandoned animals in new, loving homes.
Soon after, we quickly became more than just a place for animal adoptions. Within the first year of opening, for example, the first ambulance began rescuing ill or injured strays. Our own television show, Pets on Parade, hit the airwaves in the metro area, starring adoptable pets from our shelter. (Pets on Parade has made history as Phoenix's longest-running television.) And we added comprehensive humane-education and low-cost spay/neuter services in the community.