Shirley Kearns Memorial Adoption Centre is open for visitors:

Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday to Friday: 12 to 7 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Call 613-725-3166 ext. 258 to book an adoption appointment.

We are located at 245 West Hunt Club Road. We’re across the street from the Lowe’s. Just turn at the lights between the Lexus and Audi dealerships on West Hunt Club Road.

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.

When you adopt from the OHS, you will also receive support to help ensure a smooth integration of your new pet into your home, including an OHS health guarantee, access to free or discounted vet services, and pet store retail coupons to help you set your new pet up for success!

Health Guarantee: The OHS offers a limited fourteen (14) day health guarantee with each adoption. The guarantee entitles you to a full refund of the adoption fee if the animal is returned within 14 days of adoption due to the development of a contagious illness or diagnosis of a pre-existing medical condition that was not previously identified.

Retail coupon: Our retail adoption partners provide a minimum $25 coupon to support new adopters with their initial post-adoption retail purchases.

Post-adoption vet care: Our cat adopters receive coupons from local veterinary clinics of up to $250 in post-adoption veterinary care!

Pet health insurance can help cover the cost of veterinary care for your pet. Sometimes loving families make the difficult decision to surrender their pet because of an unexpected expense.

Without insurance, these out-of-pocket costs can add up quickly for the required diagnostics and treatments.

Insurance supports you and your pet, helping you stay together when medical expenses come your way. Our partners at Petsecure offer four different plan levels to fit both your budget and coverage needs. They can cover things such as accidents, illness, dental, wellness, and more. Visit www.petsecure.com to learn more about how pet health insurance can help you and your pet.

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.

Our goal is to make the best match for a person and a pet! We will help you find the right pet for you, that fulfills your expectations and suits your lifestyle. An adoption counsellor will guide you to ensure that your new pet is the right fit for your home. We want to make sure an adoption match lasts a lifetime, so not all adoption requests will be successful. 

To get started, complete an adoption application. This tell us more 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.

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.

Consent must be obtained from all adults in the home. It is strongly recommended that all adults meet the animal to avoid any possible returns of the animal. Consent may be obtained over the phone, email or text message.

If you have roommates, it must be clear who the actual adopter is (that is, who will be responsible for the animal’s care).

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 can buy one from our Buddy & Belle Boutique!

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 can also buy this at the Buddy & Belle Boutique.

** Dogs need to also have a leash. All of these items can be purchased at the Buddy & Belle Boutique  with all proceeds going back to the animals.

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 behaviour. Animals placed for adoption need to be in good health and must be able to adapt to the shelter environment. Pets with a history of aggression or that show signs that they are likely to be dangerous in a variety of settings are generally 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 their prognosis is poor.

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 due to lack of space or because the animal has simply been here too long.

Yes! We are committed to ending pet homelessness 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, dogs and rabbits before making them available for adoption.

We do! Just like their human companions, pets may have health or behavioural challenges that may need a little extra TLC. And, just like you and me, these needs shouldn’t stop these pets from living a happy life surrounded by the love of a forever family.

Could a pet with special needs be right for you?

You may be a perfect match to provide a bright future to a wonderful new companion. You may be surprised to learn about some of the needs that make these pets special:

• Animals with food allergies may simply need a prescription diet that may cost a little more than a standard diet.
• Behaviour issues may just mean that an owner will need more time for training.
• Senior pets may simply need more regular trips to the veterinarian to help keep them healthy, and they may not have the same activity level a young animal would.
• Some animals have chronic but manageable health conditions that require them to be on medication to stay healthy, either on an ongoing basis, or when their condition flares up. Examples include chronic ear or eye infections, or some skin conditions.
• Occasionally, animals have resolvable medical issues that require intervention that the OHS has not been able to provide.

Contact us to discuss the special needs of the pet you’re thinking of adopting. Once you know more about the pet’s needs, talk to your veterinarian about what those needs mean so you can decide whether that pet is the right match for you.

Foster-Me-First Program

Occasionally, a pet may be almost ready for adoption, but is receiving treatment from a veterinarian and isn’t ready for general adoption. Because these animals typically recover more quickly in a home, it's best to get them into that home as soon as possible.

Under the Foster-Me-First Program, these pets 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 pet is otherwise ready for adoption, except for a time-limited, outstanding medical need such as:
  • The pet is on a course of antibiotics or other medication but is showing improvement; or,
  • The pet needs a veterinary exam within a specified period of time to ensure they have completely recovered from an illness or injury.

Pets with chronic health issues that cannot be resolved, or are not expected to resolve within a reasonable time frame will not be considered for the Foster-Me-First program but rather the OHS special needs adoption program.

While a pet is in a Foster-Me-First home, the OHS is responsible for veterinary costs, special food, medication and all medical decisions for the pet. Pets remain the property of the OHS during the foster period. Participating families are expected to bring their foster pet to the OHS clinic for any ongoing exams or treatments until they are 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.

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.

Check out our pet tips page for solutions to common problems. 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.

Ethical rescues:

• Adhere to established admission protocols.
• Restrict admission to ensure they have all of the resources needed to maintain the overall health and wellbeing of all animals in their care.
• Limit admission of owned pets — they will help owners with rehoming their pet, but would rather save space for animals without a home that need help.
• Require reasonable proof of ownership before accepting an animal into their care (if owner surrender).
• Attempt to reunite lost pets with their owners.

Ethical rescues:

• Ensure a veterinarian or veterinary technician examines all animals upon admission to assess overall health.
• Diagnose and treat all medical issues for all animals in their care, preventing suffering.

Ethical rescues:

• Isolate newly admitted animals from other animals for a designated length of time and monitor animal for signs of illness, disease and parasites.
• Avoid transport and adoption events during isolation.

Ethical rescues:

• Have established assessment periods to monitor animals for specific lengths of time to understand the medical and behavioural needs of each animal in their care, seeking medical (veterinary) or behavioural support (training) as needed.
• Get to know the animals and share this information with potential adopters to make the best possible match when rehoming, minimizing the likeliness of return.
• Only make animals available for adoption once they have successfully passed the standard pre-adoption assessment period — and ensure adopters are prepared to meet the animal’s needs.

Ethical rescues:

• Stay in regular contact with their foster volunteers to ensure animals are well supported.
• Train and recruit new volunteers as needed to ensure animals are placed in the right foster home, where volunteers have the right skills and experience for their foster animal.