Arrowhead Animal Rescue
Our Story
Arrowhead Animal Rescue (AAR)
Before there was Arrowhead Animal Rescue, there was a group called Animal Advocates. Animal Advocates was disbanded in 2010. One of their board members, Gay O'donnell took it upon herself to care for the animals and start a new rescue group as the animals had no place to go.
Arrowhead Animal Rescue was then founded in 2011 when we received our federal 501(C)3 non-profit status.
We signed an agreement with the City of Grand Marais, MN to care for the animals brought to our old, sad shelter in the Rec Park by law enforcement. This agreement would help us to provide housing, the ability to care for and rehome other strays, and help abandoned and unwanted pets from around the entire area of Cook County.
The agreement is currently ongoing but to be updated following the build of our new shelter.
In Loving Memory Of Gay O'donnel
Gay was one of the very first Arrowhead Animal Rescue members.
Before Gay moved up to Grand Marais MN, she lived and worked in Chicago Illinois as a Police Officer. While on the job she would received many calls from her fellow officers asking for help with animals that were found on the scene. She had worked as a police officer for 25 years before she quit. She would take occasional vacations further and further north until she reached Grand Marais and fell in love. She decided to move to Grand Marais in the early 90's where she bought "The Breakers Motel" out in Colvil. She ran the hotel for a while and
eventually turned the hotel into the Animal Shelter of Cook County. Each individual room was dedicated to cat.
She dedicated her life in the pursuit of finding homes for the strays she took in.
Sadly Gay passed in 2022 but her legacy still lives on to this day with her friends here on the AAR committee.