Youth Volunteer: Do you know a young person between the ages of 14 and 18 who is looking to complete their community service hours for high school? The OHS offers a great opportunity for youth to work with our “Off-Leash” summer camp program, gaining important volunteer experience while working with children and animals. For more information, please click here.

Bingo Volunteer: Are you interested in supporting a third-party bingo event where proceeds raised go to helping Ottawa’s animals? Bingo is held Sunday evenings at the Overbrook Bingo Hall, located at 1150 Lola St. Volunteers help by selling Bingo sheets, assisting with registration, providing customer service to guests and assisting with event logistics. All volunteers will receive training before their first shift. For more information, please click here.

Development Office Volunteer: The OHS relies on the support of our dedicated administrative volunteer team to assist with processing donations and stewarding our donors. Last year, these volunteers helped to process 21,402 one-time donations and 89,167 PAW donations — what an accomplishment! All this hard work allows us to provide financially for the animals in our care. Does this sound like something you might be interested in? Please click here for more information.

Humane Education Volunteer: Our passionate humane education volunteers teach children/youth about animal welfare and responsible pet ownership in our community. This important program reaches the next generation of pet owners, changing the future for Ottawa’s animals. For more information about joining this rewarding team, please click here.

Events Volunteer: The OHS hosts a handful of highly anticipated signature events throughout the year (e.g. Garden Party, Wiggle Waggle Walk and Run), and participates in community events across Ottawa. To make these events possible, we rely heavily on the support of our events volunteer team. For more information about getting involved with OHS events, please email volunteer@ottawahumane.ca.

Julie has been a dedicated OHS volunteer since June 2014, and has fostered more than 75 animals! Since getting involved with the program, Julie has taken every opportunity to enhance her skills and knowledge, allowing her to care for many animals in need. She has completed specialized OHS training to care for some of the more difficult to place animals, such as house soiling cats, shy/fearful cats and orphaned kittens. According to Julie, this program has offered her “the best of both worlds.” She states, “I get to help out animals in need and also receive their love and cuddles.”

When asked to describe her experience working with the orphan kitten and shy/fearful cat programs, she explains that “they are very different programs that are equally important and rewarding in their own ways. The shy/fearful program is very challenging because you have to patiently gain the trust of an animal who has lost faith in mankind for one reason or another. Seeing their slow transformation from an animal who wants nothing to do with you to one who will come to you for love and cuddles is absolutely amazing.” The orphan kitten program program has an entirely different set of challenges. Working alongside OHS staff, foster parents like Julie, “give orphaned kittens a chance to thrive; a fighting chance at a life. Helping these helpless animals and seeing them become healthy little kittens is the best feeling in this world. Your biggest jobs are to comfort them when they are sick, love them when they need cuddles, and show them that there is good in this world even if they have had a rough start at life.”

In her position as a foster volunteer, Julie has had many memorable animals come to her home. One of her most memorable experiences however, was with one very ill male kitten. She describes the experience:

“This little guy fought with everything he had to get better. Some nights I didn’t know if he was going to make it or not, but he had such a strong will and pulled through. What I remember most was his adoption picture. His picture showed that he beat all the odds that were against him and that he was very proud of that accomplishment. This is why I continue to volunteer in the foster program. Receiving their unconditional love and seeing the difference I’m making is reward enough.”

On behalf of the staff and animals at the OHS, we would like to thank Julie and our entire foster volunteer team for their continued dedication to this program and care for animals in need. Are you interested in getting involved with the OHS foster program? Or would you like information about some of our specific foster categories listed above? Email our foster team at foster@ottawahumane.ca, for more information.

A big thank you goes out to all event volunteers who have supported the OHS at our events this spring! It has been a very busy couple of months with community events, and we are very appreciative of your support. Thank you to volunteers who assisted with the following events:

• Fitness Expo;
• Ottawa Children’s Festival;
• Veg Fest;
• Ottawa Dog Festival;
• 1888 Legacy Society Event;
• City of Om.

If you are interested in joining this fun and exciting volunteer team, contact the volunteer department today!

As an extra special treat, this year we created a special video highlighting OHS volunteers and the paw-sitively awesome work that you do. If you haven’t yet had a chance to view it, or would like to see it again, please click here.

Thank you, OHS volunteers, for your ongoing support. We simply could not help so many animals without you!

The OHS Garden Party event returns Wednesday, June 21. This year, the event will be held at the Lansdowne Horticulture Building for our first ever evening event!

As always, guests can look forward a delectable night out. Foodies and OHS supporters alike won’t be able to resist! For more information about the event, including ticket purchasing, please click here.

We are currently looking for additional volunteer support on the day of this event with set-up and tear-down. If you are interested in helping out, please email volunteer@ottawahumane.ca.

The OHS is gearing up for yet another fun Wiggle Waggle Walk and Run this fall! Our 2017 event will be held at Lansdowne on Saturday, Sept. 9. We will be recruiting for volunteer support in July to help us in running a successful event again this year. For more information about the event, or to create your own fundraising team, please click here.

Hours of Operation

Monday

7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday

7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Wednesday

7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Thursday

7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Friday

7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday

7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Sunday

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.