OUR HISTORY
The Animal Rescue Coalition began in 1999 when Ira Barsky and Ed Sarbey brought leaders from all of Sarasota County animal welfare organizations and Sarasota County Animal Services together to begin an intensive collaborative process to develop a plan to stop the killing of approximately 6,000 adoptable homeless dogs and cats yearly.

On February 28, 2001, ten animal welfare organizations formally approved and agreed to actively support the Animal Rescue Coalition Initiative. This document includes a concrete plan, useful as a model for other grassroots efforts across the country to eliminate pet overpopulation, increase adoptions from animal welfare organizations and promote responsible pet guardianship.

March of 2002 the ARC Mobile Clinic began operation. Dr. Barry Kellogg the Clinic Medical Director recalls the first day “It was an early morning in March of 2002 our first animal was a 63 pound Terrier by the name of Harley. The entire procedure went as we had hoped. It took us all day to do Harley and the five other animals that we had scheduled that day. Looking back, that day seems to be a very long time ago. However, it was just over four years but more importantly, we have done more than 11,000 sterilizations since that day. Not only has it proved to be efficient, it has been remarkably safe.”

That same month the ARC Feral Cat Program began. One Sunday each month the ARC Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic performs spays and neuters on feral cats for free. Local veterinarians and veterinary technicians, ARC staff and volunteers all donate their time and talent to this very effective trap-neuter-return program. To-date more than ** feral cats have been altered.

April 2003 saw the expansion of the Spay/Neuter Program. ARC partnered with the Manatee County Animal Services to bring free spay/neuter services to Manatee County, to-date ARC has performed more than 2,200 in Manatee County.

In March of 2005 the ARC Adoption and Foster programs were launched. ARC’s Foster and Adoption Programs have helped hundreds of homeless dogs and cats find permanent loving homes.

October 2005 ARC raised over $24,000 for the Katrina Emergency Fund to benefit the Louisiana SPCA animal relief efforts.

July 2006 the Adoption Trail was launched. Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Community Foundation of Sarasota County sponsored this year long event. The goal of this program is to increase adoption in Manatee and Sarasota Counties by twenty percent.

The Animal Rescue Coalition continues to bring unprecedented public awareness and local media attention to animal welfare organizations. ARC is committed to promoting spaying and neutering, preventing countless litters of puppies and kittens from entering our shelters and also to helping the abandoned and homeless pets already in our local shelters.