Animal Ark

2600 Industrial Court
hastings, Minnesota 55033
Phone: 651-772-8983
Fax: 612-772-7402
Email: Animal_Ark@animalark.eapps.com
Website: www.animalarkshelter.org


At Animal Ark, you will not find a spacious lobby or beautiful offices. You will, however, find some of the best animal housing available to homeless pets in our community.

Animal Ark is unique among the animal shelters in Minnesota. Though we are small and have limited funds, we have built and maintain the most elaborate sheltering available for homeless dogs, cats and rabbits. Instead of small, cold, stainless steel cages, cats are housed in large, open, kitty apartments that include exterior windows, cat trees and other amenities.

Dogs are housed in spacious kennels, the largest of which measure 9-feet by 12-feet. Each dog is provided with its own, soft, raised bed with blankets, chew toys and treats. Large, outdoor play yards are provided for our pooches. Three times each day, dogs are taken out for potty breaks and play with other dogs. In the heat of summer, kiddy pools and water misting systems provide the dogs with cool comfort. Additionally, dogs are walked each day by a group of dedicated volunteers.

Rabbits are kept in a luxury bunny suite that includes all the amenities a house rabbit deserves.

Located in the historic city of Hastings, Animal Ark is an easy, 30-minute drive from either St. Paul or Minneapolis.

Every year in the United States millions of dogs and cats are abandoned by their owners. Many of these pets are destroyed by the animal shelters that were founded to save them. An estimated 20,000 dogs and cats are killed in shelters and pounds in the Twin Cities area each year. Unlike other shelters, Animal Ark maintains a "no-kill" philosophy to animal rescue and adoption. Animal Ark will not put a pet to sleep unless it is terminally ill and suffering, or unless it poses a risk to human safety. Pets in our care receive medical attention, training and socialization. The largest no-kill shelter in the Twin Cities, Animal Ark serves more than a thousand pets each year.

While sheltering homeless pets is vitally important, Animal Ark also understands that pet shelters are not a solution to the nation’s pet overpopulation problem. Solving the pet overpopulation problem will require social transformation. Teaching respect for living things; reinforcing the bond between humans and animals; advocating large-scale sterilization and identification programs; teaching and modeling responsible pet ownership – these are the things we believe will help to end the needless killing of dogs, cats and rabbits in our shelters and pounds. Animal Ark has been a leader in the Twin Cities concerning these kinds of programs. We pride ourselves in teaching responsible pet guardianship by serving as a model to our community.

We ask people to understand that although we pamper and care for our pets, each of our animals is still missing the most important thing in their lives. . . a home and family of their own.

Founded in 1977, we are a 501(c)3 non-profit Minnesota corporation.