Welcome to the Website for Animal Ark! Every year in the United States millions of dogs, cats, reptiles and other pets are abandoned for various reasons by their owners. A number of these homeless or neglected animals find their way to animal shelters. Many of these, however, are destroyed by the very shelters who were founded to save them. Unlike these shelters, Animal Ark maintains a "no-kill" philosophy to animal rescue and adoption. We are the only shelter in the Twin Cities, Minnesota metropolitan area operating under such a no-kill policy.

Our Mission

Animal Ark exists to provide medical treatment, care and shelter to homeless and abandoned pets until each is placed in new, loving, adoptive homes. Founded in 1977, we are a 501(c)3 non-profit Minnesota corporation. The organization adopts over 1,000 pets each year to loving, adoptive homes. Our animal shelter facility is located in suburban Hastings, Minnesota. We house about 180 dogs and cats at this facility, as well as some additional rabbits, ferrets and other small creatures. Reptiles are provided care through our approved foster home program.

Animal Ark does not kill an animal unless it is terminally ill and suffering, or terminally ill and contagious, as determined by veterinary assessment. It is this approach to animal rescue that defines who we are as an organization.

It is easy to place the very friendly, smaller pet that is well-trained and loving. Many of these pets are adopted within days. Others, such as medium-to-larger-size dogs, or those who are older or who require medical care, or those who require some socialization and training often take longer to place. At other shelters, these animals are usually deemed "unadoptable" by intake triage procedures and are destroyed. Animal Ark provides shelter to these animals for whatever length of time is needed to find a caring adoptive home.

Through experience we have come to realize that these animals, as well as the "easy-to-place" can find appropriate adoptive homes if given time. We believe none of these wonderful creatures deserves to die.

As President and Executive Director of Animal Ark, I invite you to explore our website and read the information it contains. For those of you who share our "no-kill" philosophy to animal rescue, I particularly wish you to join our organization either through volunteer services or membership.

Sincerely,