Our story
It started in 1998, in a basement in Winnipeg.
While working at a veterinary clinic, D’Arcy Johnston began taking in stray and abandoned animals that had nowhere else to go. Before long, more than 30 cats and dogs were sharing the family home with D’Arcy, his wife Sharon, and their two young daughters.
In 2000, that grassroots rescue became D’Arcy’s Animal Rescue Centre. Four years later, it became a registered charity.
Today, more than 25 years later, D’Arcy’s ARC is one of Western Canada’s largest “for life” animal shelters. We’ve rescued and rehomed more than 17,000 cats and dogs, with every animal staying in our care until the right home is found.
Without government funding, we rely on the support of our community to keep going. Our main centre on Century Street supports rescue, adoption, boarding, and pet supplies. Annie’s Attic brings together a thrift store and cat café experience in the North End, with all proceeds helping fund animal care.
The shelter has grown. Our commitment to animals hasn’t.
Registered Charity Number: 861952828RR0001
“Some of the best animals I ever met never got the chance to live the kind of life they deserved. Twenty-five years ago, I started this shelter to change that.”
— D’Arcy Johnston, Founder and CEO
For life, not just for now
At D’Arcy’s Animal Rescue Centre, we believe adopting an animal is a lifelong commitment.
Animals are not disposable or temporary. This belief shapes our adoption policies and the way we care for every animal who enters our shelter.
We also believe quality of life matters. When illness or injury cannot be treated with reasonable success, we rely on veterinary guidance to make compassionate decisions that prevent unnecessary suffering.
Because of this philosophy, we describe ourselves as a for life rescue. In keeping with the principles of the no-kill movement, euthanasia is never used for population control or to manage long-term shelter residents.
Mission
To give stray and abandoned cats and dogs in Manitoba a second chance through rescue, compassionate care, and responsible lifelong adoption.
Vision
A Manitoba where every cat and dog is safe, valued, and able to live in a committed home.
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