17 Animal Shelter Statistics in Canada: Facts to Know in 2025
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Note: This article’s statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website.
Turn on global or CTV news on any given night, and you may find yourself subjected to news about the state of animal shelters across the country. It’s no secret that many humane societies and SPCAs are running out of room for animals that need their help. More and more organizations are temporarily closing animal intakes due to shelter overload. But why is this happening, and is there any good news coming out of Canadian animal shelters?
Keep reading to find 17 Canadian animal shelter statistics, including information about the rising number of surrenders, population control efforts, and, of course, the thousands of happy endings shelters help make.
The 17 Canada Animal Shelter Statistics
- An animal rescue association in Edmonton has seen a 300% increase in requests for pet surrenders.
- In the spring of 2024, the British Columbia SPCA reported a 3.6% increase in animals coming into care.
- The Ontario SPCA reported a 25% increase in the number of cats and a 6% increase in the number of dogs entering their care in 2023.
- The Montreal SPCA saw a 21% increase in the number of surrenders in the first four months of 2024.
- One of every six animals is surrendered to the Montreal SPCA because their caretakers can no longer afford their care.
- The Ontario SPCA performed 7,152 spay/neuter surgeries during 2023.
- The Toronto Humane Society performed 1,658 spay/neuter surgeries in 2022.
- The BC SPCA removed 2,795 animals from dangerous or neglectful situations in 2023.
- Last year, the BC SPCA provided emergency care and shelter to 17,729 homeless animals.
- The New Brunswick SPCA received 312 reports of abandoned pets in the province in 2023.
- Over the last four years, the New Brunswick SPCA has seen a 27% increase in animal protection calls.
- The Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) took in 1,218 dogs and 2,739 cats in 2023.
- In the 2022/2023 reporting year, the Winnipeg Humane Society brought in 4,981 cats and 1,311 dogs.
- In May 2024, the Victoria Humane Society housed more than double the dogs and over triple the cats as seen in previous years.
- In 2022, the Toronto Humane Society found homes for 1,913 animals.
- The Ontario SPCA found 4,041 animals loving homes in 2023.
- The Toronto Humane Society had 4,717 preventative wellness service appointments in 2022.
Rising Numbers in Canadian Shelters
1. An animal rescue association in Edmonton has seen a 300% increase in requests for pet surrenders.
(CBC)
Second Chance Animal Rescue Society, an Edmonton-based animal shelter, is finding themselves without much space for animals needing to be surrendered. A program coordinator at the shelter receives around ten calls daily for surrenders, a whopping 300% increase from what was normal pre-pandemic.
2. In the spring of 2024, the British Columbia SPCA reported a 3.6% increase in animals coming into care.
(BC SPCA)
Animal welfare organizations throughout British Columbia have been reporting an increase in the number of animals entering their care since the pandemic began in 2020. During the first few months of 2024, the BC SPCA has seen a 3.6% increase in animals coming into care compared to 2023.
3. The Ontario SPCA reported a 25% increase in the number of cats and a 6% increase in the number of dogs entering their care in 2023.
(Ontario SPCA)
In 2023, the Ontario SPCA found homes for 4,041 animals, but the number of dogs and cats that entered their care went up from the year prior. The organization also saw a significant increase in the number of stray dogs (58%) and stray cats (14%) coming to their facilities.
4. The Montreal SPCA saw a 21% increase in the number of surrenders in the first four months of 2024.
(Montreal SPCA)
Between January and April of 2024, the Montreal SPCA saw a 21% increase in how many animals were surrendered into their care compared to the same four-month span in 2023. Dogs saw the most dramatic increase in surrenders, with a 35% increase compared to 2023.
5. One of every six animals is surrendered to the Montreal SPCA because their caretakers can no longer afford their care.
(Montreal SPCA)
Lack of affordability has been the main reason pet owners have been surrendering their pets to the Montreal SPCA since the beginning of 2024. In 2023, over 400 animals were surrendered to the shelter as their families couldn’t afford the cost of veterinary care. At the end of the first four months of 2024, more than 166 animals had already entered their care for the same reason.
Animal Population Control
6. The Ontario SPCA performed 7,152 spay/neuter surgeries during 2023.
(Ontario SPCA)
A big part of the Ontario SPCA’s mission statement is to reduce pet overpopulation. In 2023 alone, they assisted with 7,152 spay/neuter surgeries, preventing 410,000+ potentially unwanted offspring from being born. Additionally, the organization celebrated its 150,000th spay/neuter procedure since it began offering it to the public in 2009.
7. The Toronto Humane Society performed 1,658 spay/neuter surgeries in 2022.
(Toronto Humane Society)
The Toronto Humane Society offers a number of public veterinary services, such as spay/neuter surgeries and trap-neuter-return appointments. In 2022, they performed 1,658 spay and neuter surgeries, which also includes over $83,000 of public subsidy, which is necessary for making essential veterinary care more affordable.
Emergency Care Statistics
8. The BC SPCA removed 2,795 animals from dangerous or neglectful situations in 2023.
(BC SPCA)
The BC SPCA’s protection offers touched the lives of over 42,000 animals in 2023. Their work includes checking in on farm animals left behind during the Okanagan fires and rescuing neglected dogs from irresponsible breeders. They ultimately removed 2,795 animals from dangerous and neglectful situations.
9. Last year, the BC SPCA provided emergency care and shelter to 17,729 homeless animals.
(BC SPCA)
The BC SPCA assisted over 135,000 animals across the province in 2023. The organization offered 17,729 abused, abandoned, and injured homeless animals the emergency care and shelter they needed to survive.
10. The New Brunswick SPCA received 312 reports of abandoned pets in the province in 2023.
(New Brunswick SPCA)
The New Brunswick SPCA is concerned with the huge increase it has seen in the number of abandoned pets. In 2023, they received 312 reports of animals being left behind in their homes or apartments after their owners vacated their residences. This is a significant increase from the 141 abandoned pets they assisted in the year prior.
11. Over the last four years, the New Brunswick SPCA has seen a 27% increase in animal protection calls.
(New Brunswick SPCA)
The New Brunswick SPCA expects 2024 to be a record-breaking year of animal rescues and seizures. During 2023, the organization’s animal protection officers investigated 4,000 calls for service. As of April 2024, they had already investigated 149 calls more than they had at the same point in 2023. The SPCA has seen a 27% increase overall in the number of animal protection calls since the pandemic began in 2020.
Shelter Intakes Statistics
12. The Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) took in 1,218 dogs and 2,739 cats in 2023.
(AARCS)
The AARCS took in 1,218 dogs in 2023 and found homes for 960. They took in over twice as many cats, with 2,739 kitties entering their care. They were able to find homes for 2,081 of them. Their reported intake of cats and dogs for 2023 is lower than the previous two years.
13. In the 2022/2023 reporting year, the Winnipeg Humane Society brought in 4,981 cats and 1,311 dogs.
(Winnipeg Humane Society)
The total number of cats that the Winnipeg Humane Society received between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, was 4,981. During the same reporting period, the organization brought in 1,311 dogs. These statistics include strays, surrenders, returns, rescues, shelter offspring, euthanasia requests, and more.
14. In May 2024, the Victoria Humane Society housed more than double the dogs and over triple the cats as seen in previous years.
(Vic News)
The Victoria Humane Society is actively seeking out a second property to address the unprecedented excess of cats and dogs entering their care. As of May 2024, the shelter housed 100 dogs and 200 cats, whereas in “average “years, they’d only have approximately 50 of each.
Positive Achievements and Happy Endings
15. In 2022, the Toronto Humane Society found homes for 1,913 animals.
(Toronto Humane Society)
Of the 1,913 animals that the Toronto Humane Society found homes for in 2022, 659 of them were dogs, 1047 were cats, and the remaining 207 were listed as “special species.”
16. The Ontario SPCA found 4,041 animals loving homes in 2023.
(Ontario SPCA)
Of the 4,041 animals that the Ontario SPCA found homes for in 2023, 1,166 were dogs, and 2,617 were cats. Additionally, eight birds and 250 small animals in their care were also adopted out to their forever homes.
17. The Toronto Humane Society had 4,717 preventative wellness service appointments in 2022.
(Toronto Humane Society)
The Toronto Humane Society is focused on offering public veterinary services to pet owners in their area. They performed 4,717 preventative wellness appointments, which included things such as microchipping, vaccinations, heartworm prophylaxis, and flea/tick preventatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the importance of spay/neuter programs?
Many humane societies, SPCAs, and animal shelters across Canada offer spay/neuter programs for pet owners in their areas. This kind of programming is crucial as it not only slows population growth, but the procedures offer plenty of health risks for the animals themselves. Animals that are spayed and neutered tend to live longer and healthier lives.
(Humane Society International Canada)
Why are so many Canadians surrendering their pets?
Pet surrenders have been increasing across the country since the COVID-19 restrictions began to ease. Many people welcomed new pets into their homes during the pandemic, and when they started to return to work, they found they no longer had the time to care for the animals they adopted when they were spending all of their time at home.
It’s not just the easing of restrictions that have increased surrenders, though. The cost of living in Canada has been on the rise, and pet-related costs and veterinary care are certainly no exception to this. According to Hellosafe, the cost of dog ownership in Canada has gone up 23.3% over the last three years.
(Hellosafe)
Do Canadian animal shelters euthanize the animals in their care?
Yes, some Canadian animal shelters will euthanize animals in their care. However, specific circumstances must exist to warrant euthanasia.
The Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters have listed several guidelines that shelters must abide by when euthanizing animals. These include:
- Every animal needs to be treated with respect.
- A trained veterinarian must be consulted to ensure proper procedures are in place.
- The euthanasia method used must induce loss of consciousness quickly.
- The death must be as free from pain, anxiety, and distress as possible.
- The euthanasia method must be reliable and irreversible.
- The identity of the animal needs to be confirmed with certainty.
- The animal must be assessed to ensure the appropriate dose, needle, and syringe are used.
(Canadian Advisory Council on National Shelter Standards)
Absolutely. Check with your local humane society or SPCA to see if they offer any programming you can apply for. Additionally, Humane Canada has a convenient pet food bank map on their website, where you can find information about pet food assistance programs across the country. Check out this map here.
Conclusion
It’s a weird time for Canadian animal shelters. While adoption rates are still relatively high across the country, it appears as if more and more pets are being surrendered as the years go on. The pandemic certainly changed the face of pet ownership across the country, and it seems that these changes are still taking place. It’ll be interesting to see the state of animal shelters in Canada in the next few years.