A Brief History

The Animal Rescue Network (A.R.N.) was founded in 1994 by Mrs Barbara Lisbona, then a member of S.P.C.A., who wanted a better, no-kill alternative for our lost/abused/abandoned cats.  It started with a foster program that placed 700 cats and dogs in 1994-95 alone.  In 1995, a shelter was established for cats that needed veterinary care and those waiting for a foster family to take them: the ARN was born.


Mission
The Animal Rescue Network is a no-kill non-profit organization, staffed entirely by volunteers, dedicated to giving abandoned and/or abused cats a second chance at a happy life.

We operate a shelter and network of foster homes for the rescue, housing, physical and emotional care, sterilization and adoption of cats under our care

We advise, inform, educate and sensitize the community in order to improve the lives of companion animals. 

Vision
We contribute to the creation of a world where there will no longer be unwanted cats. 

Board Of Directors

The Board of Directors consist in 5 members usually elected for a period of 2 years.  However, a special temporary Board was elected in November 2015 for a period of 6 months with the special mandate of recommending and implementing structural and operational changes to better manage the organisation and continue to offer the best care for the cats under the organization's protection.

The Board of Directors: 
- Serge Nogueira, President and Tresurer
- Claudette Patry, Administrator
- Lise Côté, consulting member
- Chistiane Trottier, consulting member
- Éric Boivin, Secretary

Current Activities

The ARN is currently made up of over 150 unpaid volunteers, organized into various teams: shelter maintenance, adoption, fostering, medication, volunteer training, communications, administration, and fundraising.
Together, they work towards four main goals:
  1. Animal Shelter and Foster Homes: The ARN operates a no-kill shelter as well as a community-based network of foster homes where unwanted cats and dogs are cared for. The shelter is divided into a number of rooms, including some dedicated to caring for cats with special needs while they wait for an understanding home. No animals are euthanized unless compassion for a sick and suffering animal demands euthanasia.

  2. Animal Rescue and Sterilization: The ARN works with the community to rescue animals from abusive homes and from perishing in the cold after abandonment. All rescued animals are sterilized and vaccinated. We also provide assistance to the public with a low-cost sterilization reference service. We believe that by encouraging and facilitating pet sterilization, we are helping to solve the problem of animal overpopulation and abandonment at its source.

  3. Animal Adoption: The ARN holds weekly adoption clinics at pet supply stores throughout the Montreal area and at our shelter to find permanent homes for our cats and dogs. All new adoption homes are carefully screened.

  4. Education and Counselling: Finally, we provide advice and counselling on animal medical and behavioural problems. Through our support and encouragement, many people have found the resources to keep their animals. In addition, we educate children and other groups on responsible pet ownership.

Facts:
  • over 50 animals were fostered and saved from freezing to death by the ARN during the 1998 Quebec ice storm
  • Our adoption clinics, at some pet supply stores, as well as at our shelter, match prospective pet owners with animals desperate to be loved every week. We have high hopes that our new online inventory of cats will reach even more people, and that we will soon find a home for each cat and dog who is waiting for one.
  • Each year about 200 to 250 adult cats, senior and kittens found a new family through adoption team of ARN but also by all the other teams of volunteers who are supported.