Ottawa’s Pets Are Suffering Now — Ottawa Humane Society Launches Compassion Campaign
June 15, 2026 — The Ottawa Humane Society has launched its Compassion Campaign, a $15 million project to build a non-profit Community Veterinary Clinic and a Behaviour Campus.
As the cost of living rises, more pet owners are grappling with the cost of caring for their pet. Four pets are surrendered to the OHS every day and 40% of those animals are surrendered due to cost or housing concerns. Countless others are abandoned or rehomed, sometimes to homes that are unable to meet the animal’s needs.
“When a pet can’t get the care they need, it leads to unnecessary suffering for the animal and heartbreak for their person,” says Sharon Miko, OHS President & CEO. “The Community Veterinary Clinic will keep more pets with the people who love them and ensure the Ottawa Humane Society’s shelter can be here for the animals who truly have no one else.”
Opening its doors in early 2028, the Community Veterinary Clinic will provide subsidized veterinary care for Ottawa’s income-qualified pet owners; including wellness care, urgent treatment, dental services and spay/neuter surgeries. The clinic will be located at 258 Durocher Avenue and will also house the OHS’s Emergency Pet Food Bank and outreach programs, making it a complete hub for animal welfare.
“The clinic is the next step in strengthening Ottawa’s safety net for animals,” Miko continues. “It will be a natural extension of our community’s ecosystem of care, ensuring no animal falls through the cracks.”
The Compassion Campaign will also build a new Behaviour Campus next to the OHS’s shelter on 245 West Hunt Club Road. The campus will provide additional support for pets with challenging behaviours. The OHS is seeing an increasing number of animals with complex behaviour needs who need greater support for a longer period before adoption.
The Behaviour Campus will create new kennel space that further supports an animal’s total well-being, walking trails and dog parks to offer enhanced enrichment opportunities for dogs, and more space for animals to develop the behaviours they need in their forever homes.
The OHS says the support of the community is needed to complete this project that will revolutionize animal care in Ottawa.
Contributions to the Ottawa Humane Society’s Compassion Campaign can be made online.
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Media Contact
Ottawa Humane Society
Stephen Smith, Senior Manager: Marketing & Communications
stephens@ottawahumane.ca
www.ottawahumane.ca