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The Adoption Centre
- What are your adoption hours?
- Where are you located?
- How much does it cost to adopt a pet?
- Why does is cost so much to adopt?
- How many pets do you adopt?
- Where do your animals come from?
- What is the adoption process like?
- What do I need to bring with me to complete an adoption?
- How do you decide who is adoptable?
- How long do you keep animals?
- Do you ever get purebred dogs or cats?
- What if I'm looking for a specific type of pet?
- Do you require spaying or neutering of adopted cats and dogs?
- Do you adopt out animals with special needs?
- Are there laws in Ottawa about having pets?
- What if I have challenges when I bring my new pet home?
- I adopted a pet from you, and now need to update her microchip information!
- How do I surrender an animal to you?
Q: What are your adoption hours?
A: Shelter adoption hours are:
Monday to Friday – 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A: We are located at 245 West Hunt Club (map), in between Merivale and Prince of Wales.
Q: How much does it cost to adopt a pet?
A: The adoption fees are as follows:
| Adoption deposit | $25.00 |
| Adult Dogs (6 months +) | $290.00 |
| Puppies (under 6 months) | $350.00 |
| Small Dogs (<15kg except JRT & beagles) | $350.00 |
| Special Needs Dog – All | $145.00 |
| Adult Cats (6 months +) | $170.00 |
| Kittens (under 6 months) | $225.00 |
| Special Needs Cat – All | $85.00 |
Please note: all dogs and cats must be registered with the City of Ottawa. You will be required to purchase a pet registration tag at the time of adoption. For more information about the City of Ottawa's Pet Registration, please visit their website.
Small Animals
| Chinchilla | $40.00 |
| Degus | $15.00 |
| Gerbil | $10.00 |
| Guinea Pig Adult (6 months +) | $18.00 |
| Guinea Pig Baby (under 6 months) | $22.00 |
| Hamster | $10.00 |
| Mouse | $7.00 |
| Rabbits – Large White | $20.00 |
| Rabbits – Small, Lops, Fancy | $30.00 |
| Rabbits – Sterilized (all) | $80.00 |
| Rats | $9.00 |
Birds
| Budgie | $27.00 |
| Canary | $27.00 |
| Dove | $22.00 |
| Finch – all | $27.00 |
| Lovebird | $77.00 |
| Small Parrot (Quaker, Conure, etc) | $201.00 |
| Cockatiel – Regular Gray | $52.00 |
| Cockatiel – Hand Fed or Fancy | $77.00 |
For cats and dogs: these costs include a health check, initial deworming and vaccination, and permanent microchip identification. Most cats and dogs adopted from the OHS have already been sterilized. However, the occasional animal is not suitable for the surgery prior to adoption. Therefore, it will be the responsibility of the new owner to have the animal sterilized within six months of the adoption, by a veterinarian of the adopter's choice. When the sterilization is complete, the refund voucher (found on the adoption contract) and proof of sterilization can be brought to the OHS for an $80 refund. The adoption fee also includes six weeks of pet insurance coverage through Petsecure.
All dogs are temperament assessed prior to being placed for adoption.
All small mammals are health checked prior to being placed for adoption. Second hand cages are available for small mammals at reasonable rates.
Q: Why does is cost so much to adopt?
A: Check out our chart that compares the "real" cost of buying a pet!
Q: How many pets do you adopt?
A: Every day animals at the Ottawa Humane Society find new homes. Each year the Society finds homes for approximately 3700 cats, dogs and small domestic pets. We are proud of our efforts and are committed to placing 100 per cent of adoptable animals into new, loving homes.
Q: Where do your animals come from?
A: Lost or stray animals, and pets surrendered by their owners make up the majority of the animals received at the OHS. If you have lost or found an animal, please visit the Lost and Found section of our website for more information and instruction. Animals are also admitted through Emergency Animal Protection Services.
Shelter Transfer Program
Our Shelter Assistance Program accepts animals from other humane societies, as far away as Kingston, North Bay and Gatineau. As well, we are in an innovative partnership with Canadian North airlines to arrange for the safe passage of hundreds of dogs from Nunavut giving many of these animals a second chance at life. Of course, Ottawa's animals always come first and we only provide these services when the OHS has capacity.
Q: What's the adoption process like?
A: As your local humane society, we have a responsibility to place animals in suitable environments that will promote loving bonds between adopters and their pets. Through our adoption process, we will help you find that perfect pet, the one that fulfills your expectations, and suits your lifestyle. An adoption counsellor will guide you to ensure that the adoption experience will prove positive for both you and your new companion animal. The long-term well-being of the animals in our care is our main concern; therefore, not all adoption requests may be successful.
As part of the process potential adopters are asked to complete a questionnaire. This questionnaire will supply the adoption counsellor with information about you, your lifestyle, and the type of pet you are looking for.
The Adoption Agreement you sign when you adopt an animal will clearly explain your obligations and responsibilities when you adopt an animal from us.
Q:What do I need to bring with me to complete an adoption?
A:For all adoptions, you will need to provide a piece of photo identification for yourself with your current address. If you have recently moved, a piece of photo identification along with a utility bill, your lease or a bank statement will suffice.
Dogs and cats must go home wearing a proper collar. If you do not bring a collar with you at the time of adoption, you may purchase one at the OHS.
Cats, small animals and birds must go home in an appropriate carrier. If you do not bring one with you at the time of adoption, you may purhcase one at the OHS.
Q: How do you decide who is adoptable?
A: Our goal is to place 100 per cent of the pets received at our shelter. This can be quite a challenge because we accept all companion animals brought to us regardless of their health or temperament. Animals placed for adoption need to be of sound temperament and in good health and must be able to adapt to the shelter environment. Pets with a history of severe aggression or that show signs that they are likely to be dangerous in a variety of settings are not suitable for our adoption program. Animals that do not adjust to the shelter environment for whatever reason, are typically highly stressed, much more susceptible to becoming ill and more likely to demonstrate aggressive behaviour. Sadly, this often makes them unadoptable. While our team of animal health professionals ensure every medical option within our resources is explored in order to save an ill or injured animal, we also believe that it is not humane to keep an animal in a state of physical or emotional suffering when its prognosis is poor.
Q: How long do you keep animals?
A: We keep all healthy, adoptable animals as long as it takes to find them a new home. For some animals this can mean living at the shelter for six weeks or more until the right home is available. The length of stay for animals varies. No animal is ever euthanized solely due to lack of space or because the animal has simply “been here too long.”
The OHS has over 250 foster families who care for newborns, pregnant cats, and recuperating dogs until they are ready to be placed up for adoption. Our foster families cared for 1583 animals in 2010!
Q: Do you ever get purebred dogs or cats?
A: We occasionally get purebred dogs and cats of all ages; however they tend to be adopted very quickly. If you are interested in a specific breed or type of pet, view the Profiles of Dogs and Profiles of Cats)currently available for adoption. You may also contact the Adoption Centre to complete a "Pet Request".
Q: What if I'm looking for a specific type of pet?
A: If you’ve visited our website or Adoption Centre but haven’t found just the right pet for you, we may be able to help you through our Pet Request Program.
The Pet Request Program works like this:
- You complete a cat, dog or small animal questionnaire at the OHS Adoption Centre. The Questionnaire helps us to understand the type/breeds and characteristics of the ideal pet for you by asking you about your pet-ownership experience, your family and your lifestyle.
- We keep the questionnaire on file for two months, during which time we will try to find a match for you as animals become available for adoption. Note that our Request Program operates under a “best effort” policy — we do not always have time to go through all requests prior to making an animal available for general adoption in our Adoption Centre.
- If we find a match for you, we will call and tell you about the animal we have found. In the best interest of the animal, we cannot hold an animal for you if we cannot reach you directly but may contact another potential adopter and/or make the animal available for general adoption.
- Because the Request Program is a “best effort” program, please keep checking our website and visit our Adoption Centre when you can. You may find an animal that does not match the profile you provided but which may prove to be the right pet for you! Let us know if you see an animal that interests you by calling 613-725-3166 ext. 258. We will review the match with your Questionnaire and talk to you about next steps.
- If you have not heard from us toward the end of the two-month request period, you may contact us to renew your request.
- If you have found a match from another source, please let us know so that we can stop searching for a match for you.
In the interest of both our animals and our community, we reserve the right to select the most appropriate match.
Q: Do you require spaying or neutering of adopted cats and dogs?
A: Yes! We are committed to ending pet overpopulation and consider spaying and neutering one solution to this tragic problem. The OHS in-house veterinary clinic's main goal is to spay or neuter all shelter cats and dogs, prior to putting them up for adoption. However, the occasional animal is not suitable for surgery prior to adoption. Therefore, it will be the responsibility of the new owner to have the animal sterilized within six months of the adoption, by a veterinarian of the adopter's choice. When the sterilization is complete, the refund voucher (found on the adoption contract) and proof of sterilization can be brought to the OHS for an $80 refund.
Q: Do you adopt out animals with special needs?
A: Special Needs Adoptions
While the majority of animals at the Ottawa Humane Society are adopted through the general OHS Adoption Program, some animals that are not suitable for general adoption may be eligible for the Special Needs adoption program or the Foster-Me-First program.
Special Needs adoption may be considered for animals that are suffering from a manageable, chronic health condition (for example, thyroid or heart condition), a suspected or acute medical condition that would require costly follow-up or very senior animals, or animals that are experiencing behaviour issues, where the animal does not believe that the animal poses a risk to the community.
Staff will educate potential adopters about the animal's special needs to ensure that they are prepared and equipped to provide the care required by the animal they are considering.
Animals in the Special Needs adoption are indicated on the website or at the OHS 245 West Hunt Club shelter.
Because the animal is being adopted with known or suspected health issues, once the adoption has been completed, the OHS is not responsible for any future medical costs incurred by the adopter related to the known or suspected health issue.
Foster-Me-First Program
Occasionally, an animal may be almost ready for adoption, but is receiving treatment from a veterinarian and therefore isn't ready for general adoption. Because these animals typically recover more quickly in a home environment, it is beneficial to get them into that environment as quickly as possible.
Under the Foster-Me-First Program, these animals may be fostered by families for the duration of treatment, then the adoption can be finalized when the animal is medically sound. These adoptions may be considered where:
The animal is otherwise ready for adoption, except for a time-limited, outstanding medical need such as:
a. The animal is on a course of antibiotics or other medication but is showing improvement
b. The animal requires a veterinary exam within a specified period of time to ensure it has completely recovered from an illness/injury
Animals with chronic health issues that cannot be resolved, or are not expected to resolve within a reasonable time frame (for example, chronic upper respiratory illness) will not be considered for the Foster-Me-First program but rather the OHS Special Needs adoption program.
The OHS will be responsible for veterinary costs, special food, medication, and all medical decisions while the animal is being fostered. Animals remain the property of the OHS during the foster period. Participating families are expected to bring their foster animal into the OHS clinic for any ongoing exams or treatments until it is medically cleared and the final adoption occurs.
Families who want to adopt an animal in the Foster-Me-First program must be approved to adopt the animal before the foster placement, in keeping with all adoption conditions. Final adoption occurs when the animal is medically cleared for adoption, at which point the adopter will finalize all standard adoption procedures, including payment of the full adoption fee.
Q: Are there laws in Ottawa about having pets?
A: Yes! You should be aware of the City of Ottawa's Animal Care and Control Bylaws and your responsibilities as a pet owner. Visit the City's website for more information.
Q: What if I have challenges when I bring my new pet home?
A: Adopting an animal is the easy part. The challenge usually begins when you get your new pet home. Common pet issues are discussed on our Pet Tips page. We also have trained personnel on staff to answer questions you may have about your new pet. They can be reached at adoptions@ottawahumane.ca or 613-725-3166 ext. 258.
As well, the OHS has numerous informational brochures and fact sheets available to provide you with much needed resource material. There are also books and booklets available for sale in the OHS store.
Q: How do I surrender an animal to you for adoption?
A: Giving up an animal is never easy, for the owner or for the pet. Please visit our Giving Up A Companion Animal page for more information.
For answers to other questions about the OHS, please use our or visit our FAQ section. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for there, please e-mail ohs@ottawahumane.ca and a staff member will get back to you.
