Bill Phinney

Phinney's Friends is named for William Phinney Jr., a devoted animal lover who served as a Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) law enforcement officer for 26 years.

His caring and compassion made a difference for thousands of animals during his years of service. He suffered greatly when he had to surrender some of his pets when AIDS debilitated his health.

When Phinney died in 1995, his love of animals inspired MSPCA to create a program called Phinney’s Friends, which helped people with HIV/AIDS and elderly in the greater Boston area by providing food, health care and other services to their pets at no cost to the owners.

The economic downturn made MSPCA shut down the program on April 30, 2009. The next day, Phinney’s Friends was born as a nonprofit organization run by a group of volunteers.