Animal Rescue League of Iowa, Inc.

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa strives to serve people and pets in our community through our programs and services designed to promote animal welfare, to address the reasons animals end up in shelters, to find forever adoptive homes for the animals in our care, and to help keep pets in their homes with the people that love them.

Reduce pet intakes to the organization while increasing services to the pet owning community. Seek funds to provide no-cost or free spay/neuter services for owned pets in high intake zip codes. Seek funds to provide veterinary assistance, crisis foster and shelter intervention assistance. Grow pet support services and cruelty intervention programs to promote healthy pets, healthy people and people safe, pet friendly communities.

Grow adoption opportunities and awareness opportunities outside of the shelter environment.

Increase fund raising efforts: grow grant program, individual and major donor opportunities, sponsorships, matching gifts, and grow the planned giving program.

The Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) strives to serve people and pets in our community through our programs and services designed to promote animal welfare, to address the reasons animals end up in shelters, to find forever-adoptive homes for the animals in our care, and to help keep pets in their homes with the people that love them.
Principle Programs and Services
• Shelter and care for lost and found pets; Pet Receiving (of strays and owner-released animals); Pet Adoptions at two ARL locations and twelve adoption partner locations in the Des Moines metro; Pet Support Services programs: crisis foster, spay and neuter programs, microchip and vaccination clinics, and veterinary assistance programs for low income residents in the Des Moines metro; TheraPets program where teams of certified pets and their handlers provide visits to nursing homes and other facilities (virtually during COVID-19); Pet Behavior classes and resources for owned pets; Contractual relationship with the City of Des Moines to provide care and all animal control services to over 5,000 lost and homeless animals found by the public and animals picked up and/or seized by the ARL Animal Services, Animal Control Officers, who provide the service for Des Moines; Horse rescue and adoption program.

Since 1926, the Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) has been a safe haven for animals who have nowhere else to turn. Over the course of nearly a century, more than 1 million abused, abandoned, neglected and even very loved animals have found refuge within our doors.

The ARL has always evolved as an organization since its inception in 1926, but never as steeply as the last decade. A number of factors have influenced that rapid evolution, both internally and externally.

Externally, society has never embraced owning, learning and advocating for pets like the last decade. That passion has carried into the work place, the Legislature and local government. Internally, the ARL has strategically positioned itself to be the leader that’s needed in central Iowa and beyond to help focus that collective energy toward effective and fiscally responsible action. All of this keeps at the forefront the belief that pets are best with people who love them, regardless of their race, social or economic status.

So what does that evolution and action specifically look like, past and future?
Gone are the days of the dreary dog pound/shelter, underfunded and built in areas the public doesn’t see or think about; the pets held for a short period of time for reclaim, then euthanized or sold to research if there isn’t an adopter. In their place, with the ARL setting the example, animal control and shelters are built in the public eye, well lit, clean and in environments that promote health and mental wellbeing. Cared for by trained professionals who assess and prepare the pets to make good companions for those who adopt them as pets, drug detection for law enforcement or therapy/emotional support animals.

Equally as important as finding good forever homes for the homeless pets, is the care given to the public who are considering surrendering a pet through counseling and programs that may overcome their challenges and help them to keep their pet in their home and out of the shelter.

The ARL has always followed some basic, but critically important principles:
*we do not turn away any animal in need, regardless of geographical location or species.
*we never allow an animal to suffer, by subscribing to the 5 Freedoms, which are:
• Freedom from hunger and thirst
• Freedom from discomfort
• Freedom from pain, injury or disease
• Freedom to express normal behavior
• Freedom from fear and distress

To accomplish this, we have brought together a team of staff professionals, governed by a professional, volunteer Board of Directors with one goal in mind-the sustained viability of an organization with a mission of “Promoting animal welfare, the human-animal bond and preventing the overpopulation of pets”.