General FAQs

Here is some cool information to teach you about the Ottawa Humane Society. Take a look!

What is the Ottawa Humane Society?

The Ottawa Humane Society is where a group of people work to help animals which are lost, sick, injured, neglected, abused or given up by their owners. We give them:

a safe place to live (until their owners find them or they are adopted into new homes)
food and water
medical care
kindness and love

Where is the Ottawa Humane Society?

We are near Carling Avenue and Dow's Lake at 101 Champagne Avenue South.

What animals are at the Ottawa Humane Society?

Cats and dogs are our most popular pets. We also get rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, hamsters, gerbils, rats, mice, degus and chinchillas!

How many animals are brought to the Ottawa Humane Society each year?

Believe it or not, we get 11,000 animals each year!

Where do your animals come from?

Most of our animals were lost or given up by their owners. Others are brought here by our Emergency Animal Protection Services if they are sick or hurt.

Do you get animals from other humane societies?

Yes! When we have room, we also get animals from humane societies in Kingston, Cornwall, Lanark and Gatineau.

What kind of food do you feed the cats and dogs at the Ottawa Humane Society?

We are lucky because the cat and dog food is donated (given for free) to us by a pet food company called Iams. We also buy special food for animals with allergies or health problems.

How does a person adopt a pet from the Ottawa Humane Society?

We have adoption counsellors who help people find the right pet for their lifestyle. We take this job very seriously! The #1 reason people give up their pets is because they chose the wrong type of pet or they weren’t ready for one.

How much does it cost to adopt a pet?

For a list of our adoption fees, please click here.

How do you decide which animals go up for adoption?

Pets placed in adoptions must be healthy and friendly. We do not adopt out animals which are too sick to help or are dangerous.

Is there a time limit for animals at the Ottawa Humane Society?

No. Animals stay here as long as they are healthy and friendly until they are adopted into good homes. No animal is "put to sleep" (euthanized) that has been here "too long" or because we don't have room.

What happens to the animals which are too sick or dangerous to adopt?

If an animal is too sick or dangerous to be placed for adoption, we end its life. This is also called "euthanized" or "put to sleep".

How is an animal euthanized or "put to sleep"?

The animal is given a needle with a drug that gently and quickly ends his life.

Can kids volunteer at the Ottawa Humane Society?

We need volunteers to help us with our programs. You must be 18-years-old. Don't worry - if you're too young, you can still help out in other ways. Please click here to find out.

To see the dogs available for adoption, click here.

To see the cats available for adoption, click here.

To see the small animals and birds available for adoption, click here.