Who we are

D'Arcy's Animal Rescue Centre (ARC) is a registered charity providing animal rescue in Manitoba. Our shelter is dedicated to rescuing cats and dogs from situations of abandonment, homelessness, neglect and abuse. These animals are given the veterinary care they need along with a safe, caring and comfortable place to live until they are adopted for life. In order to do this we rely on charitable donations, our retail and thrift stores and boarding services to generate the money we need. We are a registered charity and able to issue tax receipts.
Charity Number: 861952828RR0001

Mission

D'Arcy's ARC reduces animal overpopulation in Manitoba by providing stray and abandoned cats and dogs with shelter and care until a permanent, committed and appropriate home can be found.

Vision

D'Arcy's ARC seeks to achieve its mission by tackling the problem of domestic animal overpopulation in the province of Manitoba using education and intervention. Animals taken in are spayed/neutered as part of the rehoming process. We provide work experience through school or government placements and attend public events, to educate the public about the animal issues facing many communities and offer information on how to help.

Our story

Founded by D'Arcy Johnston, the Animal Rescue Center (ARC) officially opened its doors in November 2001 following several years of operation as a cat rescue in D'Arcy's Winnipeg home, and a brief stint at Garden City Mall in 2000. While the ARC has always operated as a not-for-profit organization, it was in November of 2004 that the ARC received its official charitable status. With operations focused on providing shelter, veterinary care, and adoption services for stray and abandoned cats and dogs in Winnipeg and the surrounding areas.

For life

At D'Arcy's ARC, we believe the animal / human relationship is a commitment entered into for life. Animals are not disposable, temporary or a matter of convenience. This value defines our adoption policies.
We also believe the quality of animal lives is important. We will not force an animal to endure pain and suffering through illness or injury that cannot be treated with reasonable success. Upon the recommendation of one or more veterinarians, we will compassionately end an animal's life to relieve suffering. We also will not maintain animals with dangerous levels of aggression that pose significant risks to shelter workers, potential adopters and the general public. Upon consultation with behavioral specialists qualified to assess animal behavior, we may make the hard decision to prevent injury to the public or our staff by euthanizing animals that pose significant risk.
Because of this policy, we refer to ourselves as a for life shelter instead of a no-kill shelter. However, in keeping with the principals of no-kill shelters, we do not use euthanasia as a form of population control or a way of dealing with long-term shelter residents, animals with special needs or imperfections.

Our commitment to animals

We consider the stray, abandoned and abused animals that come through our doors to be our main clients. We provide them with:

At any given time, there are over 150 animals awaiting adoption through our various locations, such as our main center in St. James, our thrift store in the North end, our satellite locations and many dedicated foster homes.

Our commitment to individual people

At D'Arcy's ARC our holistic approach to animal care means that we take just as much interest in the people, as the animals. So for our adopters we will:

Our commitment to the larger community

As members of the Winnipeg and Manitoban communities that we connect with, we are proud to: