Lost pet help in Toronto, Ontario

Who to call first in Toronto

Pickup and bylaw enforcement
Toronto Animal Services, through 311, 311
Where a picked-up animal is held
A City of Toronto animal centre — West (146 The East Mall), North (1300 Sheppard Ave W) or East (821 Progress Ave), 416-338-7297

The city runs its own animal services and its own three animal centres. The Toronto Humane Society is a separate charity with its own stray intake — both are worth a call.

Dogs and cats are not always the same answer. Toronto’s animal by-law exempts cats from the at-large rule, and a cat at large may only be seized where it is causing damage, creating a nuisance, or is in distress, injured or ill. A loose dog, by contrast, may be seized whenever it is at large. Impound holds differ too: five days minimum for a dog, three for a cat.

Out of hours. 311 is a 24-hour line. The animal centres themselves are appointment-only, 10:30am–6:30pm on 416-338-PAWS.

Checked against the City of Toronto’s own animal shelters page and its Municipal Code Chapter 349 on 4 October 2026 — read it yourself. Services and contracts change — confirm before you travel.

Two organisations in this directory name Toronto in the area they cover: Toronto Animal Services and Toronto Humane Society.

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 Toronto 2

These organisations name Toronto in the area they cover.

Shelters and humane societies 1

Municipal animal services 1

Covering all of Ontario 2

Canada-wide 5

Registries and national bodies that work anywhere in the country.

Emergency vets in Toronto 4

Veterinary hospitals and clinics in Toronto 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