Calgary Humane Society

I won’t adopt from the Calgary Humane Society because of the treatment we received from one of the workers. Let’s call her Barbissa for this review.
My fiancée and I were looking to take two cats or kittens home to their new paradise. We love animals and I’ve had pets my entire life. Barbissa’s first comment to our inquiry was a sarcastic, «Well which is it? Cats or kittens?»
Other comments she made include:
«Maybe you’re not ready for a pet.»
«You both work so I’m not sure your lifestyle is suited to be a pet owner.»
«Oh you may be allergic? Like, you don’t know?»
«Yeah, all of these cats will be gone in 2 weeks so…»
After looking at a couple of cats and arranging to adopt with another Cat Agent, I was to go back and get the kitten the next day. I called to ask if my lady could pick up the kitten, Dr Pat Tate, at noon but was told to come between 4 – 7. I rushed from work and got there for 0630.
Same Barbissa! She didn’t like that I was rushing to get there because I work and once again suggested that people who work for a living shouldn’t own a cat. Then my phone died with my info so she stared. Then she said I had to be there by 630 for an adoption and it was 639. Then she stared at me a bit more and I peed a little bit because of how intimidating she was. «That’s not what I was told.» I said sheepishly. All I wanted was to take the little fella out of his cage and bring him to his pillow palace. But she sent me away.
Maybe Barbissa should work as a border guard. Or maybe Catholic school principal. Maybe a prison guard. Just not a kitten and puppy charity.
She was rude. I got the feeling that she didn’t want to do the work. I also had the feeling she deals with a lot of idiots so treated us like idiots. The whole process was ridiculous and she made us feel like a bag of crap. We will go elsewhere because from the sounds of it the Humane Society doesn’t need our business.

I’ve been to the Calgary Humane Society and have adopted 3 cats over the years. Our last visit there on the weekend was very disappointing. We went Saturday afternoon only to find their computer system down. The three staff members weren’t very helpful since the system was down and during our time there were busy chatting with each other. It would have been appreciated if someone would have suggested that we take the paperwork home with us to prepare for the visit on Sunday. We were unable to visit with any of the cats but we received a phone call at the end of the day stating that the system just came up but they were closed. She providing some information over the phone on one of the cats so we stated that we will go Sunday morning at opening to spend time with the cats. We arrived at 10:00 AM on Sunday and spent about an hour with one of the 2 cats. The woman that was entering our data seemed rather arrogant during our time with her. When I made a comment about the cat being a long hair, she stated no, she was a medium hair. I’ve been around cats long enough to know the difference. As well, the card on the kennel stated long hair. We found it very difficult to find someone to help us view the second cat. We were ushered to the waiting area and told to wait. No explanation about what was going on. Because we had a function to attend that afternoon, we were running short on time. After standing in a long line up again, this woman told us that we would have to put a non refundable deposit of 40.00 on the first cat. This is a procedure we never had to do before. When we discussed it and went back to that woman she said that someone else was going to look at the cat and we couldn’t put the deposit down. Long story short was that I’ve never been so poorly treated here before. There was such a lack of communication and new procedures and fees popping up without us being told that we ended up walking out, leaving a beautiful kitty behind. I’m not sure what the issue was but I would suggest that this woman requires further training. Perhaps their staffing levels should have been addressed especially when the system was down the day before as the place was chaotic and unorganized. I will not step through those doors again. I’ll utilize one of the many other wonderful organizations out there.

I adopted a whippet cross from the Calgary Humane Society (CHS) a year ago. This was my very first dog and my very first pet! During the interview process, we indicated that we wanted a certain dog, but the staff member warned us that this dog would not be suitable for a first-​time dog owner and that this dog showed signs of guarding and would need a lot of training. My heart sank. However, as luck would have it, we saw a 4 month whippet cross that was available — she was friendly and well behaved. A year later, I am still a happy dog owner. I found the interview process at the CHS was valuable and that the staff were very honest. I was amazed at how clean the facility was — no smell of urine, clean floors, blankets for dogs, etc. I would definitely adopt at CHS again.

Thanks to Unilocal reviewers reminding me of this establishment. I got my butt to the Humane Society today — my first visit here. I used to go to our local shelter in Ontario all the time and over the years have rescued 3 cats from certain demise. I have never bought an animal at a pet store — too many upon rescue need care and the shelters are always maxed out with animals. Personal choice I guess.
I was pretty impressed with this building. The dogs we went to see first and my heart always breaks when I see them as I want to take many of them home with me! They were in circular pods which was a great design idea and there were many pooches to look at. I saw many of them being taken out to go for their walk. Their pods had blankets and food and lots of toys. Their pictures, names and histories are on the wall beside the dogs’ viewing window. The descriptions of the dogs are great — very detailed! I saw a staff member going pod to pod playing with the dogs and petting them. Staff were all so friendly and great at answering any questions!
I noted that the average price of a dog was about $ 500. This includes vaccines, neutering, 6 mos of insurance, first vet visit and obedience classes.
I noted that there were a lot of pitbulls there on this date as well as various mixes of dogs and they all ranged in age from 2 mos to 7 years old.
I saw that some of the dogs had little ‘accidents’ in their pod likely due to stress and nerves and not for lack of being taken outside. This building was quite clean.
The rabbits — holy! There were a lot of them! They all had their separate areas as did the cats and kittens (super cute!) Birds too! And a 7 foot boa that was hiding so we could not see him and that was ok!
I got some dry and wet cat food from the little store inside there — all proceeds I was told go right back into the Humane Society so I was happy to be able to do that. I always give when I see a fundraiser going on for the shelter especially around X-​mas-​time and I was really happy to see where the money goes. If I win the lotto, I would write a big cheque immediately to this organization.
My only comment was that no one for the whole time we were there was at reception, so we just guided ourselves through. I must have gone around to see the dogs and cats 6 times.
I will be back here soon!

Horrifying!
I went with my bf to adopt two cats. We found a beautiful pair of cats named Sheldon and Leonard. We got to spend time with them, they were friendly and cuddly. We made the decision to adopt them and they recommended getting a Feline Leukemia test because the shelter they had previously had an outbreak. We agreed, and it turned out Sheldon was positive, and after all this, we were told Sheldon could not be adopted out and would be euthanized. Leonard’s test was negative, but it was a chance it could be dormant so he could be euthanized too.
They could have saved us the trouble by having the test done before putting them up for adoption. Yes, that costs money, but they could find ways to cover it — donation drives, raising adoption fees to cover the overall cost — this whole ordeal was absolutely unnecessary and avoidable. We got our money back for everything and won’t be going back when we’re again ready to adopt.

All the animals are given a complete health check, all of their shots, and are spayed or neutered before you adopt them. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and the shelter offers classes to help you better train you animals. The facility is clean and the animals are well cared for. They also have private rooms for you to visit with your new pet one on one before you adopt them. In comparison to other shelters in Calgary you will get the healthiest pets from the Calgary Humane Society.
Not all shelters are created equal so be careful where you adopt your pets but please adopt dont shop!

The Calgary Humane Society is a dedicated organization to protecting the welfare of animals within the city’s jurisdiction. Being fairly informed about the Calgary Humane Society and its principles, I would like to write this review moreso to provide some important info to the general public:
–Do call the Calgary Humane Society, if you witness an act of animal cruelty. This could include an animal being abused, neglected (food/​water/​shelter), unethical breeders, abandoned, or otherwise. If you see a dog in a hot car, this could be addressed by either the Humane Society, or the Calgary Police Service. If you do so, I advise you gather as much information as possible; address of the property, names and contact info, vehicle and license plate number if relevant, etc.
If something falls out of city limits in Alberta, call the ASPCA.
Do not call the Calgary Humane Society for barking complaints. This is a bylaw issue with the City of Calgary (3−1−1)
–Do visit the Calgary Humane Society if you are choosing to adopt an animal. While some of you may take a look at the adoption fees and feel uneasy, keep in mind that these fees include the spay/​neuter process (which is extremely pricey on its own), their first set of shots, tattoo/​microchip, city license, and a vet visit to the clinic of your choice. For puppies, it also includes pup obedience classes. Additionally, many of these animals have come from compromising situations or been abandoned by their previous owners because they didn’t match the new furniture. These animals would really appreciate your love and a new home. Consider adopting an adult dog even if you were hoping for a new puppy– they need homes too, and it is way better than supporting a skeezy breeder.
–I don’t know where Dinah G. got the info of «21 days,» but the Humane Society does not really have set dates of how long they try to «foster an animal out.» Also, there is a difference between fostering an animal and adopting an animal. The Humane Society has a great fostering program you can volunteer for, where you would take an animal into your home (ie– a pregnant animal who may be stressed out by a shelter environment, animals who may need socialization, a cat with urv who needs to be isolated, etc) and care for it until it is ready to come back to the shelter. To adopt out, is to adopt an animal permanently and give it a forever home. Keep this in mind.
–As the Humane Society is unfortunately not a no-​kill shelter, please educate yourselves and really think before you choose to surrender an animal. While they have an open door policy, they always have hundreds of animals to care for and adopt. When you bring an animal into your home, you are bringing it into your family. Would you move into an «adults only» building if you had a child, and just give it up? No. So why would you do this to your pet? If you can’t fathom the idea of bringing your animal to a shelter, and the possibility of it being euthanized if it is not adoptable, then you should consult every possible option before electing to surrender it to an animal shelter.
–You can send your kids to the Calgary Humane Society for summer camps, birthday parties, and education problems so that they can learn to better understand and respect animals.
In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as animal shelters as all. People would be responsible pet owners, spaying and neutering their pets. They would not go to Petland and adopt an animal that has come from a disgusting puppy mill, or pay thousands for a certain breed from an unethical breeder and then refuse to have it fixed. They would not abandon their animals as if they were disposable or unimportant. In the mean time, until everyone smartens up, thank goodness we have resources like the Humane Society, MEOW, AARCS, ARF, and Pound Rescue in the city.

I want to put a personal shout out to the Calgary Humane Society, I was dealing with them today about some animal issues and although they are on overload they are so willing to take an animal in. This however should be the last resort after all options have been looked at as stated by them.
They are willing to look and try to foster out an animal for 21 days but after that period of time, there are no promises that the animal will not be put down. Unlike Meow which is a no kill organization, the CHS only have so many kennels and not only do they deal with cats but they also deal with dogs as well, so you can imagine their responsibilities.
They have a great wish list folks so please check their website and see where you can help out, not only can you help with monetary donations but you can also help with basic things like blankets or garbage bags just to give an example.
They have a surrender, adoption, spading and neutering information and any basic education that you need supporting taking good care of your pets.