Lost pet help in Thunder Bay, Ontario

Who to call first in Thunder Bay

Pickup and bylaw enforcement
City of Thunder Bay Municipal Enforcement Services, 807-577-6536
Where a picked-up animal is held
Dogs: the Municipal Pound/Kennel, 882 Alloy Place. Cats: the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society, 807-577-6536

Municipal Law Enforcement Officers pick up strays and run the city pound, with officers on duty seven days a week.

Dogs and cats are not always the same answer. The city states the split in one sentence: "Dogs will be brought to the city pound/kennel until they can be returned to their owner, or adopted through our animal partners network. Cats will be brought to the Thunder Bay Humane Society." Officers collect both species — but the destination depends on which animal you have lost. Stray dogs are held a minimum of three working days; the Humane Society is on 807-475-8803.

Out of hours. Officers are on duty seven days a week. The pound at 882 Alloy Place can be visited Monday to Friday, 9:00am–4:00pm, to claim a stray dog.

The Ontario SPCA Northwest Animal Centre is a separate organisation and is not where a city-collected stray is taken.

Checked against the City of Thunder Bay’s own animals page on 4 October 2026 — read it yourself. Services and contracts change — confirm before you travel.

One organisation in this directory names Thunder Bay in the area it covers: City of Thunder Bay Municipal Enforcement Services. One more covers Thunder Bay as part of a wider region.

Between them they are municipal animal services and 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 Thunder Bay 1

These organisations name Thunder Bay in the area they cover.

Covering Thunder Bay as part of a wider area 1

Covering all of Ontario 2

Canada-wide 5

Registries and national bodies that work anywhere in the country.

Emergency vets

This directory does not list a verified emergency veterinary clinic in Thunder Bay yet. Your own veterinary clinic is the place to ask which emergency service it refers to.

Emergency capacity and availability change — phone before travelling.

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