Lost pet help in Ottawa, Ontario

Who to call first in Ottawa

Pickup and bylaw enforcement
City of Ottawa By-law and Regulatory Services, through 3-1-1, 311
Where a picked-up animal is held
The Municipal Animal Shelter at the Ottawa Humane Society, 245 West Hunt Club Road, 613-725-3166

Two organisations, two jobs. The Ottawa Humane Society operates the City’s Municipal Animal Shelter under a purchase-of-service contract; enforcement and stray-dog pickup stay with City By-law Services.

Dogs and cats are not always the same answer. Both species end up at the same shelter, but the reporting route differs. A stray dog at large is a 3-1-1 call to City By-law Services — the OHS says so on its own page. For a lost or stray pet generally, including a cat, the OHS intake line on extension 223 is the published route.

Out of hours. 3-1-1 is a 24-hour City line. You may collect a lost pet from the Municipal Animal Shelter without an appointment during its hours.

Checked against the Ottawa Humane Society’s own lost-and-found page, which names the City contract and the City by-law on 4 October 2026 — read it yourself. Services and contracts change — confirm before you travel.

One organisation in this directory names Ottawa in the area it covers: Ottawa Humane Society.

That is shelters and humane societies.

Further down the page, two organisations cover Ontario as a whole and five work Canada-wide.

Opening hours, intake practices and how each organisation wants to hear from you are set by that organisation, not by this directory — check its own page or call before you travel.

In Ottawa 1

These organisations name Ottawa in the area they cover.

Covering all of Ontario 2

Canada-wide 5

Registries and national bodies that work anywhere in the country.

Emergency vets in Ottawa 2

Veterinary hospitals and clinics in Ottawa that run their own emergency service.

Emergency capacity and availability change — phone before travelling.

All emergency vets in Canada

Your next step

Phoning round is one part of a search. The checklist puts every step in order, from the first hour through to week two.

Work the lost pet checklist Make a lost pet poster Read the step-by-step guides

Back to the whole directory

If your pet is missing right now

Skip the background reading. The checklist puts every step in order, from the first hour through to week two, and saves your place as you tick items off.

Open the checklistAll guides