ARC In Action meetings are held on the second Saturday of the month
from 10 to 11 am. at our office at 2615 E. Franklin Ave. in Minneapolis.
Everyone is welcome - you don't have to be a member to attend.
Circle
of Compassion (ARC blog)
ARC
on MySpace
Chicken
Run Rescue
fast & furless
vegan boutique
If an animal's life is in immediate danger, please call 911. Read this
section for more information.
If you can no longer keep your companion animal and need to find a home
for him or her, please read the information in this section.
Our Mission Statement
The Animal Rights Coalition is dedicated to ending the suffering,
abuse, and exploitation of non-human animals through information, education,
and advocacy.
The Past ... and the Future
The Animal Rights Coalition is the oldest and most successful animal
rights organization in Minnesota, with over a quarter century of helping
animals. ARC was founded in 1980 and formally incorporated in 1981. ARC's
membership has grown over the years and it continues to be a locally and
nationally recognized voice for animal rights in Minnesota.
During ARC's first decade, the organization focused on national efforts including national conferences held in Minnesota with internationally known speakers and participants.
ARC’s second decade saw many successful campaigns such as stopping the University of Minnesota Medical School from using live dogs in cardiology laboratory exercises and persuading the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley to discontinue using a gas chamber for euthanasia. ARC successfully sued the University of Minnesota for access to records concerning the use of animals in research. Support by ARC members led at least one local school district to recognize students’ rights to non-animal alternatives to dissection. The national controversy over the Make-A-Wish Foundation granting a bear-hunting trip began when ARC formally voiced opposition and led to a ban on such trips.
In its third decade ARC is focused on spreading the word about compassionate living. Community outreach activities vary from booths at large community events and professionnal conferences such as the Twin Cities Pet Expo, Children’s Expo, Living Green Expo, Juneteenth, GLBT Pride Festival, Women’s Expo, and Education Minnesota Professional Conference, to leafletting at events such as the American Veterinary Medical Association national conference, to assisting the hundreds of individuals who call or email us looking for help with issues related to animals.
ARC's "Compassionate Kids" program helps children develop compassion
and empathy while empowering them to take action for animals in their
own communities. With presentations at schools, community events, and
scout troops this program has met with glowing reviews from kids, parents,
and teachers.
ARC is committed to helping to solve the companion animal overpopulation problem at the source. ARC raised the funds to help Animal Ark, the area’s largest no-kill shelter, purchase its original mobile surgical van dubbed the “Neuter Commuter.” ARC also continues to raise funds and provide supplies for Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue, a rescue group on the Red Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota and participated in the Humane Society of the United State’s Rural Area Veterinary Services program at the Red Lake Reservation, which spayed, neutered, and gave medical treatment to hundreds of animals.
Looking toward the future, we believe we can continue to achieve our goals through practicing non-violence and compassion for all (including the human animal). We believe that positive change comes about from connection, communication, and education, not from demonizing those on the other side of the philosophical fence. Instead of continually proclaiming what we are against, we believe it is far more effective to let people know what we are for. We are not here to win some imaginary battle to prove that “we are good and they are bad,” but to peacefully organize and form alliances to create positive change.
501(c)(3) Status
The Animal Rights Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt organization.
Donations to ARC are tax deductible.
Pound
seizure is the sale of cats and dogs from a pound or shelter to research
labs. Only two states, Minnesota and Utah, still have laws requiring that
publicly funded pounds and shelters turn over unclaimed animals for research.
The ultimate fate of these former companion animals is death. But before they die, they may suffer greatly. Visit Minnesota's Shame and Ban Pound Seizure to find out more.
Petting
zoos at malls and fairs allow children to feed, ride, or have their pictures
taken with the animals. Children who visit petting zoos often bring home
much more than their parents bargained for as petting zoos are notorious
for infecting children with potentially lethal bacteria such as E.
coli and salmonella. Click here
for a fact sheet with more details on petting zoos.
Hearing
a lot about violence in schools? You can do something to help: Cut out
dissection! Every year, millions of animals are killed and shipped off
to schools, where young people are given scalpels and told to slice up
the animals’ bodies. What does dissection teach? Not much, except
that it’s OK to chop up animals.
Contact ARC for advice on how to object to dissection at your school. Or call the toll-free Dissection Hotline for information and support for students, parents and teachers who object to dissection.
