Animal Humane Society

The Animal Humane Society — AHS — is Minnesota's largest animal welfare organization, founded in 1878 as the Minnesota Humane Society. It is one of the oldest humane societies in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Over its 147 years, the organization has grown into a network of five adoption sites across the Twin Cities metro and one of the most operationally robust humane societies in the Upper Midwest.

The five locations include the main Golden Valley campus (which serves as the operational headquarters), and additional sites in St. Paul, Coon Rapids, Woodbury, and Buffalo. The combined operation places tens of thousands of animals into homes each year.

How they work

AHS adoptions begin online or in person at any of the campuses. The application is short, the interview is conversational, and meet-and-greets happen for animals that look like a fit.

Adoption fees vary by animal and time of year. Fees include spay or neuter, age-appropriate vaccinations, microchipping, and a starter pack.

The organization operates as no-kill in current practice. Animals are not euthanized for space, time, or treatable conditions.

Beyond standard adoptions, the organization runs:

• A full-service veterinary medical center at the Golden Valley campus, providing affordable care to adopted animals and the broader community.
• Spay/neuter services at multiple sites.
• Pet retention programs including the Pet Helpline — surrender prevention, behavior consultation, and resource referral.
• Foster networks spanning all five sites, handling puppies, kittens, post-surgery recoveries, and seniors.
• Behavior and training programs for animals requiring rehabilitation, including public dog training classes.
• Humane education programs in Twin Cities-area schools.
• A community veterinary clinic providing access to low-cost services for households facing financial barriers.

What 147 years of Minnesota animal welfare looks like

The Animal Humane Society has been operating long enough to have outlasted nearly every institution it might compare itself to. The organization predates the modern shape of American animal sheltering, the modern shape of Minnesota state government in many respects, and the modern shape of the Twin Cities themselves.

What's striking is the operational continuity through that span. AHS has been quietly, consistently one of the central pieces of Upper Midwest animal welfare infrastructure for over fourteen decades. The current five-site network is unusually large by humane society standards, but the institutional DNA is recognizable from the founding period.

The Golden Valley campus has, over its many expansions, become a fixture of the western Twin Cities suburbs. The volunteer dog-walker rotation across the five sites is one of the largest such rotations in the country. The annual fundraising events draw significant slices of the regional donor community.

You can support AHS in the standard ways:

• Adopt from any of the five campuses; available animals are listed online by location.
• Foster — the foster network is one of the largest in the Upper Midwest.
• Volunteer — dog walking, cat socializing, medical clinic support, event work.
• Donate — AHS publishes detailed financials annually.

Field & Era at the Animal Humane Society

The Golden Valley coordinates appear in Companion Edition orders shipped throughout the Twin Cities metro, Greater Minnesota, and across the Upper Midwest. If you adopted from the Animal Humane Society and want the address set on archival paper, see the Companion Edition. 10% of every Companion order supports a rescue partner.

Last verified May 29, 2026. Facts about hours, intake policies, and adoption fees can change. Confirm with Animal Humane Society directly before visiting.