Community Services

If you are a pet owner in need of help, our community services can provide you with resources. If, for any reason, you find yourself unable to care for your animal, we welcome you to reach out to Calgary Humane Society. Please review the information on this page and complete the Surrender Intake Form.  Once a form is submitted, we will contact you with further instructions.

 

We’re here to Help

 

 

If your pet has gone missing, it’s important to know where to begin your search. Adhere to the following steps for guidance:

  • If your animal has gone missing within 24 hours, begin by searching your immediate area. Animals are most frequently recovered when owners physically search for their pet within 24 hours of going missing.
  • If your animal has a microchip, contact the provider immediately. This will allow the provider to update their records accordingly. In the event your pet is turned found and turned into a veterinary clinic or shelter, the microchip will be the first means of reuniting you.
  • Contact local veterinary clinics to determine if your pet has been found and brought in. Finders will most commonly deliver lost animals to vet clinics.
  • Utilize social media to leverage your community to assist in your search. Pages such as YYC Pet Recovery, or local community pages can list missing animals, in addition to listing found animals. This may help in reuniting with your pet as soon as possible.
  • Contact local animal control in addition to Humane Societies. If the animal has been missing for more than 24 hours, it is likely the animal has been delivered to the appropriate housing facility.

Check our recent stray population by visiting this page here: Lost & Found Animals 

Pet owners can feel helpless when confronted with behaviour problems in their animal companions. We encounter animals with different behaviours and are very familiar with the options available to help solve them. Our Pet Training programs are your hub to access private consultation, training classes, and free resources for all species.

For more information on our behaviour training services:

Call: 403 723 6019

Email: behaviour.help@calgaryhumane.ca

 

Financial troubles are challenging for every family member – including your pets. Calgary Humane Society Food Bank program is donation-based and designed to help people/families needing pet food and supplies.

For more information:

Call: 403 205 4455

Email: general.inquiries@calgaryhumane.ca

 

Each year an average of 250 animals are surrendered to Calgary Humane Society due to challenges in pet-friendly housing. Through a referral from participating agencies, tenants can access free behaviour consults to helps ensure their pet remains a good tenant and neighbour.

For more information on our pet and renters program:
Call: 403 723 6019
Email: behaviour.help@calgaryhumane.ca

The Pet Safekeeping program provides short-term housing at no charge for animals belonging to individuals in crisis due to family violence or abuse. This program provides a safe alternative to remaining in a dangerous situation.

Individuals requiring access to this program must be referred by a recognized service, agency, or professional such as a social worker, police officer, medical professional, or caseworkers from a recognized emergency family shelter.

To access this program, call us at 403 723 6025.

Calgary Humane Society offers short-term emergency boarding for pets belonging to people in crisis. This program is intended as a last resort for individuals who are unable to care for their animals temporarily due to a crisis including:

  • Loss of house due to fire, flooding, or other natural disasters
  • Sudden hospitalization
  • Individuals entering a recovery program or rehab centre may also qualify depending on their individual circumstances.

Emergency pet boarding is made available to those unable to access help from family, friends, or other pet boarding services in Calgary. All that is required is a referral from a recognized service agency or professional, such as a social worker or disaster response worker (EMS, fire fighter, or police officer).

For emergency boarding, contact us 403 723 6025.

We understand that accidents can happen, and when they do, it’s essential to have a safety net in place. Our initiative allows for the review and return of surrendered animals to their owners due to emergencies such as accidents involving vehicles or ingesting foreign objects.

This program, conducted in partnership with registered DVMs, ensures that qualifying individuals receive the assistance they need during these challenging times. Please note: Individuals cannot apply to this program directly. Instead, participants are identified and recommended by participating veterinarians and the Calgary Humane Society, ensuring that aid reaches those in genuine need.

With the expertise of the Calgary Humane Society and the support of dedicated professionals, we strive to reunite pets with their families whenever possible.

Your pet’s well-being is our priority, and through Rosco’s Keep Them Home, we aim to provide peace of mind during unexpected crises. Together, we can ensure that every pet receives the care and attention they deserve, even in the face of adversity.

In collaboration with Calgary Seniors Resource Society and participating veterinary clinics, Calgary Humane Society has a program that addresses seniors’ vulnerabilities by retaining or creating connection opportunities with domestic pets. Resources include:

  • Medical support
  • Euthanasia and cremation services support
  • Food bank services including prescription diets
  • Community engagement and volunteer opportunities
  • Affordable adoption fees.

Get in touch:

Call: 587 320 3801

Email: general.inquiries@calgaryhumane.ca

Frequently Asked Questions

You can surrender your dog, cat, or other pet at Calgary Humane Society. Before we can take them in, you will need to complete the Surrender Intake Form and make an appointment; we cannot accept unscheduled drop-offs of pets at the shelter.

If you need to surrender an animal, please complete the Surrender Intake Form. The Animal Admissions team will call or email you to schedule an appointment or put you on a waitlist if our shelter is at capacity.

If you do not have access to email or are uncomfortable with the technology, call us at (403) 723-6025. Please note that email is the preferred and quickest way to contact the team. You can contact found@calgaryhumane.ca any day of the week.

If your animal needs immediate medical attention and you cannot afford veterinary care, get in touch with our Animal Admissions team immediately by calling (403) 723-6025.

We have several animals moving through the shelter on any given day. We strive to ensure that each animal who comes through our doors gets the best care possible, including basic needs, health care, or behaviour support. If we are at capacity, we cannot take in more animals until we can free up space to provide your pet with the highest quality of care.

By managing our intakes, we can ensure we have the appropriate staffing and space to care for each animal that comes through our doors. This helps ensure less crowding, less disease, and a greater chance our animals will move to the adoption floor quickly. While a shelter is a good place to start for some animals, it is not a long-term solution, and we want to see them get into a forever home as quickly as possible.

If you do come without scheduling an appointment, you will be asked to leave and schedule an appointment. If we can accommodate your animal that day, it could be a long wait so we do encourage you to call first.

If you have an urgent situation, please contact our Animal Admissions team at (403) 723-6025. We will do our best to accommodate emergencies.

While we are an open admissions shelter, we must plan accordingly to ensure each animal receives the care, attention, and space they need. We can help more animals when we plan our intakes and ensure proper animal flow through the shelter. Scheduling non-urgent intakes means we can help more animals without sacrificing the quality of care. We appreciate your help and cooperation in caring for all animals in need.

We know that surrendering a pet is a heartbreaking decision that is not chosen lightly. Our caring animal admissions staff will support you and your pet throughout the surrender by explaining the process, collecting vital information for future adopters, and respecting your right to confidentiality. We will ask for information about you and your pet during the surrender process, including identification.

This information is never passed on to future adopters or used for any purpose other than the legal requirements related to animal surrender. When surrendering smaller animals, please bring them in with a hand-held kennel to ensure safe transportation and handling for our staff.

We ensure that your pet is provided with the highest quality of care throughout their stay here. Our in-house veterinary clinic provides health exams and medical treatment to every animal that arrives at Calgary Humane Society.

While in our shelter, all animals are cared for by our compassionate animal care team and receive environmental enrichment and support from our behaviour team to address any behaviour concerns they may exhibit. When a pet is ready for adoption, potential adoptees will be carefully screened to ensure the best possible match with the new family.

Cost to surrender

As an open access shelter, we will never turn away an animal in need. There is, however, a cost to Calgary Humane Society associated with supporting your pet. This cost is dependent on the necessary length of stay ($15/day), daily care ($50), treatment (up to $200), dental ($300), training ($150.00), health and behaviour exams ($50 each), vaccines ($60), and spaying/neutering ($150).

We hope that you will consider these costs when surrendering your pet and provide some financial support if you’re able. We also accept donations of food, crates, pet carriers, and other supplies. Your support enables us to care for the over 5,000 animals we receive every year.

 

Calgary Humane Society Pet Surrender Intake

If you would still like to surrender your pet, please complete the Surrender Intake Form.

Intake Form

Owner Information
Name(Required)
Animal Information
Health Information

Please contact your vet, or the most recent vet you accessed, to send us the animals’ medical records. You should advise your clinic that you are surrendering your animal, and authorize the records to be shared with us. Please provide your clinic the contact info to send the records: found@calgaryhumane.ca or fax to 403-723-6050

Calgary Humane Society is an open-admission shelter and never turns animals that need us most away, even if the shelter is full. CHS accepts all companion animals, including those that are ill, injured, feral, and behaviourally challenged. To effectively manage our population and ensure every animal in care has its needs met, we will triage incoming animals to first serve those most in need. This does not mean any animal is rejected but instead managed through a waitlist system to prioritize intakes appropriately. To learn more about surrendering your animal*, contact our Admissions department at 403-723-6025.

*Care costs may apply at time of intake.