Animal Protection
Report Animal Cruelty
Since 1922 Calgary Humane Society’s Animal Protection Team has investigated cases of animal cruelty within the city of Calgary.
If you have first-hand reasonable grounds to believe animal abuse, neglect or abandonment has occurred, please contact Calgary Humane Society at (403) 205-4455 or here by submitting an online report.
If you are witnessing active physical abuse or it is after Calgary Humane Society operational hours and the animal is at risk of death or grievous injury, call Calgary Police Service at 911.
We do accept anonymous reports, however, without your information we may be limited in action we can take to intervene via search warrant or prosecution. Your identity will not be shared with the accused unless a search warrant is required or a charge is laid, in which case your identity must be shared as part of the court disclosure.
When to report animal cruelty
The offence under the Animal Protection Act of Alberta is causing or allowing an animal to be in distress. Ideally, a report should be filed as soon as is practical after witnessing or becoming aware of the offence. This gives our officers fresh grounds for investigation and minimizes the duration of that animal’s distress as intervention can proceed post-report. Best evidence is fresh, so don’t delay. There is no harm in reporting if unsure, our officers vet each file for reasonable and probable grounds before attending.
The statute of limitations for an Animal Protection Act offence is 6-months. After expiry of that statute, investigation and/or charges cease to be an option.
The definition of distress (per the Animal Protection Act)
Animal distress includes:
- Inadequate food, water, shelter, veterinary care, space, ventilation and protection from injurious heat or cold
- Injured, sick, in pain or suffering
- Abused or subjected to undue hardship, privation, or neglect
We also investigate the abandonment of animals
Animal abandonment includes:
- Animal left with inadequate food, water or shelter for more than 24 hours;
- Animal is found in a residence in which tenancy has been terminated;
- Animal is left for 5 days or more after the expected retrieval time from a registered veterinarian or from a person or place (stables, boarding facility, or private care for the animal) with whom money was exchanged.
Please note that, as a policy respecting confidentiality, we do not release details of an investigation. You may call our dispatch centre at 403-205-4455 for an update, however, the only information available will be the status of the case. Our officers will never leave an animal in distress. If a file has been concluded, the reported issue has been resolved. If a file remains open, the investigation and/or the intervention is ongoing.
View prohibition list
Review the list of offenders, prohibited from owning or possessing animals (unless otherwise stated), due to an animal prohibition court order, as a result of an animal cruelty conviction.
