Ottawa Humane Society

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.

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.

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

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.