Since 2013, Calgary Humane Society is proud to be one of the only open-admission animal shelters in North America able to say this simple phrase:
“At Calgary Humane Society, every single healthy and adoptable animal is able to stay until they are adopted.”
Calgary Humane Society is an open-admission shelter. This means one simple thing: We never say no. We never turn an animal away.
We have many supporters ask us if this means Calgary Humane Society is a “no kill” shelter. The reality is this: If a shelter is a “no-kill” shelter, then they must turn animals away. The animals typically turned away from “no-kill” rescues are animals that are too sick or injured to be treated or too dangerous to safely be rehabilitated and placed in a home. Calgary Humane Society is the only open-admission animal shelter serving Calgary and the surrounding area. Without our open-admission mandate, these animals would have nowhere to go.
Does this mean there are sometimes difficult decisions to be made? Yes. But thanks to the generosity of our incredible community of supporters, these decisions must be made only in the most extreme of cases. Thanks to the ongoing support of the Calgary community, Calgary Humane Society has become one of the first and only open-admission shelters in North America that does not euthanize for time. Just a few years ago, the animal welfare world said this was an impossible dream, yet Calgary proved them wrong.
At Calgary Humane Society we are proud of who we are, and we are proud of the community that has allowed us to make history. Each year our community takes one step further towards a future where no animal is abused, neglected or abandoned. We have come a long way since 1922, and together, we will continue to make history.
Choosing a pet is a life-changing decision! At Calgary Humane Society, we are often asked what the benefits our adopters receive when compared to purchasing from a pet store or classified ad.
Happy endings and new beginnings: Adoption saves lives.
To begin with the most obvious (and important!) reason, adopting a pet saves lives! At Calgary Humane Society we pride ourselves that every single healthy and adoptable animal is able to stay at our facility until they are adopted. We are able to do this because of our wonderful adopters. In adopting a pet, you not only give that pet a brighter future, you also create a precious shelter space for another animal to begin the story of their own happy ending.
At Calgary Humane Society, our commitment to our adopters is simple: We will continue to support you through all steps of your pet’s life.
Post-adoption support is another HUGE benefit to pet adoption.Adopters receive detailed behaviour and medical information prior to making a decision to adopt, are provided with a package of resources during the adoption process and have access to our staff, including our free behaviour help line, for additional support after adoption.
A happy life is a healthy life: Adoption starts your pet on the path to a healthy future.
Finally, in addition to the great reasons above, adopting a pet from Calgary Humane Society ensures your pet is set up for a healthy life. Prior to becoming available for adoptions, all animals at Calgary Humane Society are given a full health exam by one of our skilled veterinarians and treated for any health conditions they may have, including dental issues! In addition, all cats, dogs and rabbits are spayed or neutered and also receive their first shots. All of these health services, even if they would normally cost thousands of dollars, are included in the animal’s standard adoption fee!
We adopted her 4 years ago in December 2010. We put a lot of time, effort, and TLC into Alex. She was crazy hyper and had food aggression. She was an quick learner and loves to try new things. One of her favourite things to do I go hiking/ scrambling in the mountains! We love her to pieces and are so glad we were able to adopt her!
Alex’s Mommy
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