Raising the Bar for Animal Welfare, Together

Every animal deserves compassion, kindness and the chance for a brighter future. At the Ottawa Humane Society, thousands of animals count on us each year to make that future possible.

During National Shelter Appreciation Week, we're celebrating the extraordinary people behind this life-saving work, and the incredible difference they make for animals across our community.

Our staff and volunteers work tirelessly to give animals the best possible care, from veterinary professionals providing life-saving treatment, to the animal care teams offering comfort and compassion, to our behaviour team helping animals overcome challenges and prepare for new homes, to our adoption team bringing pets and people together, while foster volunteers open their hearts and homes to animals who need extra support.

And so much of this essential work happens behind the scenes. From keeping our shelter running to raising funds, building community relationships and advocating for stronger animal protections, every person has a role in creating a better tomorrow for the animals.

Raising the bar also means looking beyond the animals who need us today.

It means supporting families who are struggling to care for their pets. It means helping people and their pets build lifelong bonds through training. It means inspiring children through humane education to become the next generation of compassionate pet owners, volunteers and animal advocates.

Every animal helped, every family supported and every young person inspired brings us closer to a community where animals are treated with greater compassion, understanding and respect.

Our work can be challenging. There are heartbreaking moments and difficult decisions. But through it all, our team shares an unwavering commitment to making life better for animals who have nowhere else to turn.

And none of this would be possible without you.

To everyone who donates, adopts, fosters, volunteers, advocates or shares kind words of encouragement: thank you. Your trust and generosity make our work possible, and your belief in a more compassionate future inspires us to keep reaching higher.

This National Shelter Appreciation Week, we're proud to celebrate the people who are the heart of the OHS, and the caring community who stands alongside them.

Together, we're building a future where more animals receive the care, respect and second chances they deserve.

Together, we're raising the bar for the animals.