Anoka County Humane Society

The Anoka County Humane Society in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, is one of five affiliates of the Animal Humane Society. This is a group of five no-kill shelters in the Upper Midwest that share the same mission, goals and values.

Like most animal shelters, the Anoka County Humane Society is responsible for finding new homes for animals that are abandoned, given up by their owners or found as strays. In addition to dogs and cats, the shelter houses rabbits, birds and small animals, like mice, hamsters and ferrets. A list of adoptable pets is available on the Animal Humane Society website. It can be sorted to include only the Anoka County location if the user selects “Coon Rapids” from the dropdown menu.

The shelter has standard adoption requirements to insure that their pets will be good fits with their new families. All primary adopters must be at least 18 and have permission from other adult household members. Renters must also have notified their landlords prior to adopting a pet. All potential adopters need to fill out an application which describes how they intend to care for the animal. This helps the shelter insure a good fit and minimizes bad matches which may cause adopters to return a pet to the shelter. It also provides a 30-day return period in which the adopter can bring the pet back to the shelter and receive a credit for the adoption fee. This is used to mitigate circumstances such as unknown pet allergies or the fact that the new pet doesn’t get along with existing pets.

The shelter tries to take a non-judgmental approach to accepting animals for surrender. However, employees do ask that people provide a reason for giving up their pets to help them determine whether it is considered adoptable. Although this is a no-kill shelter and animals are not euthanized due to lack of space, they can be due to excessive aggression, illness and other factors. Just as adopters must be 18 or older, people surrendering animals must be adults and must certify that fact by bringing in a valid photo ID. A fee to help assuage the cost of the animal’s care while in the shelter is also required. All surrenders are final and the shelter does not provide updates, with the exception of the AnSWER Program.

Unlike many other shelters, this humane society offers the Animal Surrender with Evaluation Report, or AnSWER program. This allows people who give up their animals a one-time notification if the animal they surrender is deemed unadoptable. There is a fee for this service, which in 2009 was $75. Upon receiving the report, they have one day to pick up the animal and search for alternative placement.

The shelter offers microchipping and nail trimming services on the second Sunday of every month during the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Microchipping involves inserting a microchip under a pet’s skin so that he can be identified via a special scanner if lost or stolen. The 2009 fees for these services are $40 for microchipping and $12 for a nail trim.

The shelter is at 1411 Main Street, N.W., in between Avocet street and Crane Street. It is close to the city of Minneapolis. Adoption hours are Monday through Friday for noon to 8:00 p.m., with surrender hours being 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. On Saturdays, the shelter is open for both between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and on Sundays between 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The phone number for general information is 763-862-4030. An online contact form is also available for those who wish to reach the shelter during off hours.

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