Who We Are

Neighborhood Pets is a program of Friends of the Cleveland Kennel. Friends of the Cleveland Kennel (F.O.C.K.) is a 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to provide necessary medical, enrichment, and comfort care to animals at Cleveland Animal Care and Control and offer resources to the Cleveland community in order to reduce shelter intake and improve the wellbeing of animals.
Neighborhood Pets’ mission is to keep pets in their homes through affordable pet care, resources, and education. Our goal is to make this possible by offering affordable and accessible resources. The original site is a storefront located in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland. Program services are available to all low income Cleveland residents. The program offers low cost vaccine clinics, low cost flea/tick prevention & parasite treatment, free spay/neuter program, pet food bank, free education and training classes, low cost pet supplies and unlimited counseling as needed.
Neighborhood Pets is a walk-in facility, open 3 days a week and also by appointment. The program also hosts free weekly group dog walks and training sessions for members. Families qualify to become members of the program if they live within the City limits and have a household income below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Neighborhood Pets currently has nearly 3,000 unique human clients. That number continues to grow each day. The need for the services provided by Neighborhood Pets is evident. 36.2% of Cleveland’s residents live below the Federal Poverty Level., and over 60% are living at or just above Federal poverty level. The accessibility and affordability for vet clinics, pet supplies, and other pet services proves to be an obstacle. Our goal with this program is to create a second “satellite location” of the Neighborhood Pets Outreach & Resource Center to be located within the next highest need area of Cleveland that currently has very little, if any, pet care resources.
Services available to City of Cleveland residents with qualifying low income:
*Note: Our program is membership based. Individuals and families with qualifying low income who live in the City of Cleveland are eligible. Membership allows residents to access the services listed above. Non-members may purchase flea prevention, and dewormer at full price, and may also shop for supplies. This support from the wider community helps to fund our programming for our members.
Our City and the Slavic Village neighborhood:
Over 60% of the residents of the City of Cleveland, Ohio live in or near poverty. The City of Cleveland is the second poorest city with population over 250,000 in the entire nation, following Detroit, Michigan. The eastern portion of the City of Cleveland is a pet resource desert. Residents do not have close access to vet clinics or pet supply stores, and this is an obstacle for pet parents who want only to take good care of their pets. In addition, the lack of affordable services and lack of transportation affects many families.
The Slavic Village community has a population of 20,249 residents and an average household income of $26,755. Over 70% of the residents are living in or near poverty. There are no vet clinics or pet supply stores in the immediate area; the closest pet store is located at a retail shopping center that is 4.6 miles away from the neighborhood. One in four Slavic Village households do not have a motor vehicle available to them.
By providing affordable and accessible basic wellness care, free spay/neuter and information to pet owners in their neighborhood, we have become a trusted, permanent resource. The positive relationships we have established keep pets in their homes.
The Collinwood neighborhood:
During the summer of 2019 we began expanding our outreach into the Collinwood neighborhood, with the goal of providing a more accessible location for Greater Collinwood residents and residents of the nearby Glenville, St. Clair-Superior, and Hough neighborhoods. On August 24, 2019 we began providing services on Saturdays out of the Five Pointe Community Center, 813 E 152nd St. Our goal is to move into a permanent location in Ward 10 as soon as possible. According to the Center for Community Solutions (communitysolutions.com), 20,966 Clevelanders reside in Ward 10, and over 65% of them live in or near poverty.
Neighborhood Pets’ mission is to keep pets in their homes through affordable pet care, resources, and education. Our goal is to make this possible by offering affordable and accessible resources. The original site is a storefront located in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland. Program services are available to all low income Cleveland residents. The program offers low cost vaccine clinics, low cost flea/tick prevention & parasite treatment, free spay/neuter program, pet food bank, free education and training classes, low cost pet supplies and unlimited counseling as needed.
Neighborhood Pets is a walk-in facility, open 3 days a week and also by appointment. The program also hosts free weekly group dog walks and training sessions for members. Families qualify to become members of the program if they live within the City limits and have a household income below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Neighborhood Pets currently has nearly 3,000 unique human clients. That number continues to grow each day. The need for the services provided by Neighborhood Pets is evident. 36.2% of Cleveland’s residents live below the Federal Poverty Level., and over 60% are living at or just above Federal poverty level. The accessibility and affordability for vet clinics, pet supplies, and other pet services proves to be an obstacle. Our goal with this program is to create a second “satellite location” of the Neighborhood Pets Outreach & Resource Center to be located within the next highest need area of Cleveland that currently has very little, if any, pet care resources.
Services available to City of Cleveland residents with qualifying low income:
- Counseling, information, and resource referrals
- Affordable pet supplies
- Emergency pet food assistance
- Low cost flea prevention & dewormer
- Low cost vaccine & microchip clinics
- Free ID tags and gently used collars/leashes
- Free spay/neuter for dogs & cats living in qualifying zip codes
- Medical assistance funding for emergency medical cases
- Euthanasia services for clients who are unable to afford the cost
*Note: Our program is membership based. Individuals and families with qualifying low income who live in the City of Cleveland are eligible. Membership allows residents to access the services listed above. Non-members may purchase flea prevention, and dewormer at full price, and may also shop for supplies. This support from the wider community helps to fund our programming for our members.
Our City and the Slavic Village neighborhood:
Over 60% of the residents of the City of Cleveland, Ohio live in or near poverty. The City of Cleveland is the second poorest city with population over 250,000 in the entire nation, following Detroit, Michigan. The eastern portion of the City of Cleveland is a pet resource desert. Residents do not have close access to vet clinics or pet supply stores, and this is an obstacle for pet parents who want only to take good care of their pets. In addition, the lack of affordable services and lack of transportation affects many families.
The Slavic Village community has a population of 20,249 residents and an average household income of $26,755. Over 70% of the residents are living in or near poverty. There are no vet clinics or pet supply stores in the immediate area; the closest pet store is located at a retail shopping center that is 4.6 miles away from the neighborhood. One in four Slavic Village households do not have a motor vehicle available to them.
By providing affordable and accessible basic wellness care, free spay/neuter and information to pet owners in their neighborhood, we have become a trusted, permanent resource. The positive relationships we have established keep pets in their homes.
The Collinwood neighborhood:
During the summer of 2019 we began expanding our outreach into the Collinwood neighborhood, with the goal of providing a more accessible location for Greater Collinwood residents and residents of the nearby Glenville, St. Clair-Superior, and Hough neighborhoods. On August 24, 2019 we began providing services on Saturdays out of the Five Pointe Community Center, 813 E 152nd St. Our goal is to move into a permanent location in Ward 10 as soon as possible. According to the Center for Community Solutions (communitysolutions.com), 20,966 Clevelanders reside in Ward 10, and over 65% of them live in or near poverty.
Our History
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![]() Founded in 2003, Friends of the Cleveland Kennel's mission is to provide necessary medical, enrichment, and comfort care to animals at Cleveland Animal Care and Control and offer resources to the Cleveland community in order to reduce shelter intake and improve the wellbeing of animals. Read more: friendsofclevelandkennel.com
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