Street Dogz also help the unhoused and homeless as well as their pets.

It Began with One Bag of Dog Food

Street Dogz Care For Homeless Pets and Their Humans for 10 Years

By Debbie Hall / Photography courtesy of Street Dogz

Editor’s Note: This article about Street Dogz is dedicated to Sarah St. Claire, cousin of the publisher Ann Parenti. Sarah passed away three years ago and was devoted to helping animals. She also believed in the magazine and, at the end of her life, helped to fund it with her trust. As Sarah embraces all the animals on the Rainbow Bridge, let’s help those who still inhabit the planet.

Pets, reliant on their fur parents for care, face a dire situation. The financial crisis gripping Southern Nevada and the entire country leaves them vulnerable. In this challenging time, Street Dogz, a nonprofit organization celebrating 10 years, is stepping up to assist these animals and their humans.

It all started with one bag of dog food.

Nevada native and founder of Street Dogz Cheryl Noori worked at Citigroup for 25 years until the recession of 2008, when Citigroup moved its company out of Nevada. She changed her career trajectory when Noori accepted a job in the welfare department of the state of Nevada. This was a new experience for her since Noori had never worked in social services.

She was placed in the offices of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada and The Courtyard in downtown Las Vegas, surrounded by a sizeable unhoused population.

“My new boss was cleaning out an office and found a bag of dog food. She asked if I wanted it, and I said I would put it in my car since I didn’t need it. The next day, I saw a man standing in line with a chihuahua and offered him the dog food. He got so emotional, and I was so touched. I decided to bring some bags of dog food to the office and give it out. I put it on Facebook, and then everyone started donating dog food, leashes, and collars. This grew organically as a community-based organization,” explains Noori.

Initially, three people, including Noori, discussed the need to help dogs, especially those cared for by the unhoused and homeless population. One person dropped out, but Noori and her friend Melody Christian continued and started creating a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

“I must admit we were so excited we went on LegalZoom and started the process that day. Melody filled out the forms, brainstormed the name Street Dogz, came up with a tagline, ‘Feeding dogs in need (and cats too!),’ and created the Street Dogz Facebook page. But we didn’t realize that much more needed to be done. Someone we knew from an animal rescue organization, Darlene Blair, helped us complete what we needed,” says Noori. The organization became a nonprofit agency in March 2015.

Donations range from giving the man a three-pound pet food bag for his little dog to distributing 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of dry food and thousands of cans of wet food monthly.

The services soon expanded to include spay and neuter, vaccination clinics, and dog shoes. Street Dogz is believed to be the first group to give out dog shoes for homeless pets in Las Vegas. Other services include medical care, day boarding, paying shelter fees for pets in the shelters, temporary and permanent housing for people and their pets, and employment assistance.

Initially, the organization was based in Noori’s garage, but in June 2019, a home in central Las Vegas called “The Clubhouse” became its center.

“If we lost The Clubhouse, we would have to shut down the organization. It is that important to our organization,” says Noori.

In 2015, they partnered with The Giving Project, a homeless outreach event run by Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) Homeless Outreach Officer Anne Wilson. It was its first community event and really brought attention to their cause. They started receiving donations of human food, clothing, blankets, pet food, and supplies to distribute at this monthly event.

In 2016, they created the Off The Streetz program to get pets and humans out of the hot summers and expanded it to Off The Streetz Christmas, which included a week inside a motel (Super 8) over the holiday, meals, and gifts. That is a top-rated program in the community.

In 2017, they received an RTC bus pass grant to give to clients, and it continues to help those with public transportation. Rideshare can be arranged if the dog or cat has to go to the vet or attend one of their events. They have transported animals to other states in emergency situations. The Street Cats LV Facebook page was created to show the feral cat problem witnessed during deliveries and offer help.

In 2018, they selected distribution sites instead of delivering to individuals. Several zips with the highest need were chosen each month, with a specific day, time, and location. The current schedule is always posted on their website and Facebook page. Dogs are required to be brought to receive food and other doggie needs, but cats are not.

Volunteers Michael and Dolores donated a 2012 top-of-the-line Chrysler van with 200,000 miles to Street Dogz two years ago. It is the only vehicle they have to make deliveries, pick up donations, and transport clients and pets. However, it still runs and is another critical asset to continuing to help pets.

“Homeless pets are our priority. People think of us as only serving homeless pets, but we have more housed clients than homeless,” says Noori. “We started to get grants, and beginning in 2021, we could help anyone who called. All American Animal Hospital worked with us and helped hundreds of dogs and cats.”

Unfortunately, the grants ended in 2022, and the organization focused more on its mission to help homeless and unhoused pets and their humans stay together and meet their pets’ needs. Sadly, with the rising gas prices and burnout rates, Street Dogz can no longer deliver to seniors, people with disabilities, and others who live in the dwellings.

One requirement for help is that the pets be allowed to be spayed or neutered by Street Dogz, who will pay for the procedure. Still, many refuse.

“We struggle with this, but it is vital that we take care of the pets this way. Along with paying for the procedure, we also provide transportation and take care of any other needs,” states Noori.

Their program, Off the Streetz, helps homeless dogs or cats who had recently had spay or neuter surgery recuperate for a few days before hitting the streets again. Since then, it has morphed into providing respite during Christmas week, cold nights, and days when temperatures climb over 110 degrees.

Today, Noori works as a welfare case worker at the Clark County Detention Center, so she is very familiar with the system and those who are a part of it. One of her two daughters volunteers at The Clubhouse. The organization has 40 volunteers, with 15 volunteering 10 to 60 hours weekly. Their outreach volunteer works with the unhoused and homeless population, delivering to those areas. The medical director handles all the medical, boarding, and adoptions. The Clubhouse crew volunteers at different hours and positions, from donation drop-offs, providing pet food to clients, and managing inventory to weekly donation pick-up and transport. The events and distribution crew reaches out to local businesses for donations along with the communications volunteer. Volunteers manage social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The rest of the team volunteers as needed when miscellaneous requests arise.

It is important to emphasize that Street Dogz is not a rescue group. Their goal is to keep pet(s) with their humans together and ensure that unhoused/homeless pets have their needs met.

The need is even greater today.

After the pandemic, the financial landscape of Southern Nevada has dramatically changed, including the cost of living and housing, which affects pet parents. According to U.S. News, Las Vegas ranks No. 11 of the top 25 cities in the country with homeless/unhoused populations. Many unhoused live with their pets in cars when not couch surfing.

According to the personal finance site SmartAsset, which recently reviewed data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator and estimated the living wage needed to meet needs, an annual salary for a single person to live “comfortably” in Southern Nevada is $94,432. A salary of $239,366 would be required for two working adults with two children.

Street Dogz has posted that in a single night in 2023, 6,566 people were identified by the Point-in-Time Count as homeless in Southern Nevada, with more than half unsheltered (60%). They estimate they distribute 7,000 pounds of dry food and help 550 pets and 200 households monthly. Everything is donated, except for food purchased when available, from the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) Greater Good Food Bank at a discount.

One person performs deliveries, and she makes 30 to 40 trips to areas with a large unhoused and homeless population every month. Since 2020, they have partnered with FirstMed Health and Wellness to provide temporary housing for clients with pets, and in 2023, 22 people were helped, and seven of those people had employment and permanent housing. Street Dogz has also partnered with Caridad, a nonprofit organization that operates Hebron, a low-income housing complex for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and seniors. For unhoused and homeless people who are hospitalized or in jail, their pet(s) will go to the shelter for 10 days, and then the shelter will call Street Dogz to pick up the pet(s) to be boarded. On some occasions, there are adoptions and mascots as well.

Street Dogz wants to help as the rate of homelessness increases. The issue of homelessness and the unhoused will not disappear overnight, but they hope to make a difference in the lives of those affected by it. Many measures are in place to address pet homelessness, such as spaying, neutering, fostering, and shelters. However, Street Dogz takes a different, preventive approach, ensuring that pets are not surrendered in the first place. Their goal is to assist pets of people experiencing homelessness and those in need by providing food and supplies, helping with funding for spaying and neutering, catering to special dietary needs, medications, and vaccinations, and working on providing temporary housing for pets. Apart from offering material support, their philosophy is that their efforts to help people care for their animal companions provide them with a sense of dignity, comfort, and hope.

Email help@streetdogzlv.org for more information, to volunteer or donate, or visit streetdogzlv.org, and follow @StreetDogzLV on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).