Nice building. Clean. Spacious. Dogs stay in single spaces. The cats looked comfy and were adorable. Not unwelcoming here. Just, not enough staff for visitors, though. I came once on my own... Fell in love with a pooch and was able on line to make an appt to spend more time with him the next day. Lots of parking. Cute yard to visit the pooches if you want to take them outside. My appt was over an hour late as they were swamped and I was also surprised how much it costs to save a dog's life that came from the streets. Literally. But... The payment includes neutering, first shots, city licence tag for a year... 6 weeks of health insurance. Nothing flea or tick related, next shots also due in a couple or weeks $$$ Adoption overall was ok, I would recommend coming here and I'd come back. Just bring your patience. I have a new best friend and I'm losing my mind training him but I hope he is truly healthy so that I can love him for many years to come. Never know with a shelter dog, much of their history. This... Is after all... A business. 3.5 stars read more

I am writing to formally express my deep concern and disappointment regarding a recent experience we had with your organization involving two newborn rabbits. I was caring for a friend's two rabbits when one unexpectedly gave birth to a litter of seven babies. I was advised that the mother would typically care for them, so I ensured she had everything she needed such as fresh water, appropriate hay, and fresh greens to support her health and milk production. I did everything I could to maintain a safe and supportive environment. Unfortunately, as the days went on, the babies began to die one by one. I documented their condition with photos and videos and reached out to a rescue for guidance. Although they were full, they took the time to help me and advised that based on the photos and videos that the mother was either unwilling or unable to care for the babies. She was also stepping on them, which I believe contributed to their decline. Following their advice, I removed the remaining two babies and committed fully to their care with their help and guidance over the next few days. My cousin and I purchased proper formula, syringes, and all necessary supplies. We set up a safe, warm environment using a heating pad as instructed and prepared to feed them and monitor them around the clock. We dedicated our entire weekend to researching, preparing, and caring for these newborns to give them the best possible chance at survival. During our calls to the rescues, we had also contacted the Ottawa Humane Society for guidance. The following day, we received a call stating that this was a medical emergency and that we should bring the rabbits in. we did so, trusting that they would receive care or that we would be advised on next steps. The following day, I called to check on them and was informed that both baby bunnies had been euthanized. When I asked why, expecting that they may have been injured or too ill to survive, I was told that they were fine, but that there was no one available to care for them around the clock to ensure they were fed and kept warm. I was completely shocked and devastated by this response. At no point were we informed that euthanasia was a possible or likely outcome. We were not given the option to take the baby bunnies back and continue caring for them ourselves, despite having already demonstrated that we were willing, prepared, and actively doing so! While I understand that caring for neonatal animals is challenging, I cannot understand how the decision was made to euthanize them without consulting us or giving us the opportunity to continue trying. Even if they ultimately did not survive, we would have accepted that outcome knowing that everything possible had been done. Instead, we are left feeling that they were given no chance at all. I personally have supported the Ottawa Humane Society for years, including donations and adopting animals through your organization. This experience has deeply shaken my trust and confidence. What I find most concerning is not only the decision itself, but the complete lack of communication, transparency, and compassion shown in this situation. Going further, I will no longer be supporting OHS in any way, shape or form. read more

I adopted my cat here 3 years ago and had a great experience. When there's not a global pandemic you can visit the animals anytime during their visit hours. Not all of the animals are in foster care and lots have their own room or cage. Despite what a lot of people judge on whether or not this is humane, I personally think that having the shelter set up this way is better for both the animals and adopters as it's easier to meet and fall in love with the animals in person which creates better and life-long matches with each pet to human. read more

Ottawa Humane Society - Caramel who was adopted here. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

don't go there unless you want your heart broken I was told there was kittens available I said I would be there first thing in morning I was there a half hour before doors opened was first though doors people weren't very helpful they just pointed said cats that way I told them I was there because a employee invited me to come I finally found the kittens she told me about one had adopting pending on its tag so I looked at other cats found one I fell in love with and she with me then there was a person there finally I said can you help me and she said shed help me after she cleaned up some cat food that a cat spilled when be taken out of cage I waited she never came back two gentleman were cleaning cages I asked them for help I told them that she said she was going to help me they told me to go to desk I went and there she was she said she was in middle of appointment I said she'd said she'd help me she basically was rude to me then i saidd I wanted to see the cat I loved and one of the kittens suddenly the person who invited me was there she said the kittens were gone and the cat I liked was gone There was no pending adoption or on hold on a lot of the kittens and none on the cat I liked and the person who invited me knew my phone number to call me to invite me to see kittens so why couldnt she phone me to tell me they were gone It was a hour drive for me I wouldn't of come and I wouldn't of fallen in love with this cat I spent the whole drive home crying because I thought I had found my companion and then they took her away. It might not be politically correct but I might buy my cat at least I'm guaranteed I won't be crushed. So my last words are bye bye D***** you were loved and wanted read more

I adopted a dog from the Ottawa Humane Society at the end of July 2019. She is the most wonderful dog ever (but I think most people say that about their dogs). The people working there were all wonderful and understood that adopting a dog was not a decision to be made lightly. Positively, I never felt pressed into the adoption since they had in place that if you had the dog's click board you were first in line for that dog no matter how long you needed to take with her or to think about it. If you need to sleep on it they also have a system in place where you can put the dog of hold for 24 hours and pick her up the next day or call in and say nevermind. I admit I came to the humane society as opposed to an Ottawa rescue because this was my first dog, I have a typical 9-5 job and I live in a condo with no yard. The Ottawa Humane Society did not see a problem with this as I was also looking for a calm, older dog who could fit with this lifestyle very easily. Unfortunately, immediately following her adoption she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. While a good portion of the cost associated with it was covered by the 30 days of included PetPlan insurance, but trying to work with PetPlan was an absolute nightmare since they would not tell me if my vet's recommended treatment plan would be covered at all prior to doing and that I could only pay for the treatment send in all the records have their vets decide if that was "correct" treatment and pay if they decided. While this is not on the Ottawa Humane Society it is the company they chose to partner with. The other issue I had with this is given where Ottawa is located Lyme Disease is quite a high risk and should probably be a test completed prior to the adoption of a dog along with a Heartworm test. However overall my experience with the Ottawa Humane Society was lovely and it was nice to see how well the animals were treated. While yes the dogs live in small concrete rooms they also tend not to stay there very long. I love the bunny area since having a bunny myself I know how often people think rabbits should only live in small pet store cages. They also seem to have ample extra room in case they need to take in more pets. read more

Oh what a beautiful building. Oh what a price we paid. Regardless of what they say. All the dogs are now on tiled flooring, and while thats great for cleaning, its horrible for a dogs feet. It is completely closed in and I'm not too sure of the ventilation. Also they do not explain what "hold" means. Are they adoption pending, still in need of medical attention? Who knows. One thing I found about the staff is that they are puuuushy in getting you to fill out an adoption form. Yah like I want to be on your mailing list for money forever. They are NOT a no-kill institution and I love their policy regarding this... "The term "no-kill" is a misleading term. Most "no-kill" shelters select the types of animals they take in, bypassing those that are ill or of poor temperament or health. In order for the OHS to be considered "no-kill" we would have to limit the types and numbers of animals we accept. The OHS is an "open admission " animal shelter that offers shelter and care to animals regardless of age, health, temperament, or space available." An out and out bald-face lie. And where are their foster homes? Oh wait, they have none. (edit: a member of the Humane Society has messaged that they do have foster care. This is my response: Why, after ALL the money spent you would need other people to farm your animals out to? Clearly this facility can't keep up with the demand and this new building was a waste of money after all. So what they are basically doing is taking away from no-kill shelters where the need is greater.) The type of testing they do to identify if an animal is "adoptable" is deplorable and shameful. They used to use the Temperament Test which at best, would irritate even you! At its worst, it makes a dog unadoptable and put in line for euthanasia. Due to media coverage they have redesigned the test. Otherwise they would still be using this method in my opinion. Please think twice before dumping money here. Reliable and reputable Rescue establishments are a better way to determine an animals temperament and health, are no-kill, and have foster homes where the animals live in a persons home, not behind glass on tiles. read more

The Ottawa Humane Society is an exceptional institution here in Ottawa. It is not only heartwarming, but relieving to know that there are such wonderful places, and people here in Ottawa caring for our furry little friends! Recently, pet-fever hit my home, and it hit hard. We decided to make a trip to the Ottawa Humane Society after having it recommended to us by several pet-adopting friends. While I never saw their old building, I was completely blown away by their new building! Brand new, top of the line and extremely well taken care of we were greeted by a friendly group of staff who were extremely knowledgable and helped ease us into the experience. We were in the market for a cat or kitten, so that is the area of the humane society that we were escorted to. From there, we had free range with staff standing by to answer any questions that we had. There are several large "community rooms" where the kitties are able to interact with one another, or enjoy the climbers and toys available. There are also private cages for cats that are injured, ill, anxious or anti-social. While these cages did seem a bit small, they were clean and filled with food and water. We were also assured that each individual animal is given some time in a larger room each day to explore and play. My favourite feature was the rooms where potential adopters could take a feline they were interested in into and interact with them privately. It definitely gives people the opportunity to get to know a cat's personality and gage their interactions with you. read more

The Ottawa Humane Society is one of the best places to go for pets in the city. The staff and volunteers are exceptionally friendly and obviously compassionate towards their furry friends. This humane society also has a no kill policy, which is always a relief to hear. They also have profiles of all their cats, dogs and other critters online for people who are curious to know what they have. I got two bunnies here last year and they are incredibly social and lovely. My boyfriend and I went looking for only one bunny, but when we found Serge and Charlie (female) in a cage together with a note saying they can only be sold together because they're so in love, we knew we had to get them. read more

Committed staff who truly are in tune with the welfare of Ottawa animals. Please support the Wiggle waggle walkathon in September!

We had a horrible experience here, which is sad because we have always been pleased in the past. My room mate and I had found a very sick and injured mouse in our basement. She has been rescuing animals all her life, and knew that they would take him in. We drove him to the Humane Society, only to find that the door was locked. There were 3 or 4 nurses inside who had seen us, but did not do anything to let us in. After trying all the doors around the building and trying to get the attention of the staff, we called the Emergency line in hopes of getting in contact with someone who would help us. The emergency line was not answered. While we tried calling back for the next 15 minutes, 5 staff members had entered the building and completely ignored us. We were incredibly frustrated and ended up having to let the mouse out in a quiet park near our house because we couldn't find anyone to take him. This was incredibly unprofessional of the staff. This is supposed to be a shelter and a safe haven for hurt, injured and neglected animals and they refused to let us in. read more

they are a kill shelter. friend took her cat to the shelter. she is an older cat. she called 3 days later to check on the cat. they had already put her down. they said she was unadoptable read more

So, yes, the building the beautiful. It looks lovely. There are communial kitty play areas that you can see. However I have never dealt with such rude staff before in my life. A friend of mine and I found a cat outside her home who we thought may be a stray. After it stayed outside her house 24 hours a day for a full week, she took it inside her home. We looked for the right ful owner for over three weeks with posters and classified ads, and opened a Found Cat report with the OHS. My friend decided she wanted to licence and adopt the cat into her home for good. We asked the OHS for some advice, and after several emails back and forth (they didn't seem to understand what we were asking, and kept sending a copy/paste "how to file a lost cat report" responce) they said that my friend could be sued if the cat's former owner ever came forward, and that we could incur legal fees and would have to prove that we tried to find them. The suggested instead that we bring the cat to them, and after holding the cat for three days in the lost and found, she could adopt the cat into her home. We both thought this would be a good idea, and did so. We were wrong. We're well past the three day mark, and the OHS still refuses to update us on the status of the cat. They just told us they haven't assessed the cat yet, so it can't be adopted out to my friend. So they're basically keeping this poor cat for whom an adoption request has already been filled out, who has a home waiting for him, who doesn't have to stay in the shelter environment for one more day, in a shelter where he is likely stressed and could become ill. The cat is neutered. The cat is in good health (was checked by a vet already). He has an excellent temperament. Why would they need to hold him for longer? There is no reason. Every time we have tried to call, they have not answered the phone. When we finally got through to a person and asked about the status of the cat, she was incredibly rude to us on the phone. We were told that in calling to ask about the cat we were wasting her time, and that they have "thousands of cats, why should yours be treated any differently?" We aren't asking for special treatment, we were just trying to follow what we were originally told. Three days. Then you can adopt the cat. The 6 year old cat, for whom adoption is unlikely at that age. When we went to the shelter in person, we were again treated very rudely. I see no reason for the attitude we received from the staff. They could easily and assertively provide us with the same information without using the disrespectful tone we keep hearing from the OHS staff time and time again. They need to retrain their staff. I understand that as the staff at at animal shelter they have to deal with a lot of horrible people that do not respect animals in the slightest. That must be incredibly frustrating. But it does not excuse their behaviour. IF YOU HAVE FOUND AN ANIMAL, HAVE SEARCHED FOR THE OWNER TO NO AVAIL, AND WOULD LIKE TO ADOPT IT YOURSELF DO NOT BRING IT TO THE OHS! You will receive only headaches and bad tempers for your heart and good will. read more

I took an abandoned 1 yr old female tabby with her two kittens to the Ottawa Humane Society and a few days later I went by to check on them only to get the shocking news that the OHS had decided they were not domestic and had euthanized them. I have been deeply disappointed with the institution. I had been taking care of the cats for a few weeks before taking them there and I know the cats were friendly and sweet. I strongly advice people to think twice before they take stray or abandoned cats there since they do not have enough space for all the cats and the majority will be euthanized. read more

Today, Tuesday, July 26, 2016 I travelled to the Ottawa Humane Society to drop off a stray cat that has been at my home for over a year. Let me fill you in on a bit of background as to the reason I made this very hard decision to take this cat to this society. I live in a small rural area and over a year ago a stray cat was dropped off and appeared on my lawn. In the beginning I started to feed this cat across the road from me at an abandoned building. This continued until a racoon took over this building and feeding it there was no longer an option. So, I began feeding this cat in my driveway. She would not come close to me in the beginning but as time went on she obviously felt safer and began to come closer. Finally I could get me hands on her and before long she trusted me enough to let me pet her. She followed me everywhere. As the winter months approached I began feeding her in my garage and I made a safe warm spot for her in my garage where she could sleep. As spring approached I knew she was going to have kittens and in early May she had 5 beautiful little kittens. It was very difficult buy I managed to find excellent homes for all of the kittens when they approached 10 weeks of age. I already have a house cat but I decided to keep the Calico kitten as well......I was informed that my Himalayan house cat would be more inclined to accept a kitten moving into the house instead of the stray cat. I knew in my heart that I could not keep this stray cat here any longer. Even if I took her to be spayed she would still have to be an outdoor cat and I didn't think this was fair to her.....she deserved so much more. She is a very affectionate cat, still very scared and timid but once you show kindness to her, she is la beautiful cat. With much sadness I took the Mama cat to the Ottawa Humane Society today and I could not have been treated any better. As I was very fond of this cat, my tears flowed very easy and they did everything they could to make this transition easier. They showed immense kindness to both the cat and me. They assured me that I was making the correct decision.....here at the society she would be spayed, obtain all her shots and anything else that was required prior to putting her up for adoption. The staff were exceptional......a huge thanks to them. Even though tears were still falling when I left the building all I can hope for is that someone will find it in their heart to adopt this cat and give her the home she has always longed for. I am very confident in saying that the owner would never be sorry for making this decision. And as I already mentioned this cat certainly deserves this.....she has been through so much...... THANKS again to the amazing staff at the Ottawa Humane Society. I will never forget your kindness or the cat I dropped off today......she will always have a very special place in my heart. Please take good care of her...... Pat C read more

I would not recommend adopting a pet from the Ottawa Humane Society. My experience with them has been horrific. I adopted my second cat from them, my first I adopted from a friend of a friend. On last count the OHS lied or misled me over 14 times. Don`t believe what they say regarding the financial benefits of adopting from them. They say that the cats are up to date on their shots but they are not. After paying for his adoption fee, I forked over an additional $600 to get the tests and shots he needed to be up to date. My first cat cost me nothing when I adopted him and had ALL of his shots. And for my first cat, I was able to take him to his vet for his medical history before deciding to adopt him, and received far better information that the OHS gave on my current cat (which was nil). Even though it is the law to have pets vaccinated for rabies the OHS doesn`t vaccinate them!!! They couldn`t even give me accurate information on the kind of food they were feeding my cat so that I could continue to feed him the same to help him adapt to his new home. The information on their website is very misleading. Staff and volunteers need to be ethical and knowledgeable and those at the OHS are neither. read more