Other Animal Services Departments In Canada

No other city in Canada is as poorly served by their respective animal services departments as the citizens of Edmonton and their pets are in Edmonton. In most comparable sized cities civic animal services departments co-exist with humane societies however I was unable to find a single city in which animal services offloads all of the responsibility for operating animal adoption programs on local humane societies. In other Canadian cities humane societies and animals services operate individual adoption programs in an effort to get as many unclaimed animals adopted and reduce their euthanasia rates. Edmonton's is the only animal services department, that I could find information on, that does not use volunteers in any capacity whatsoever. Other animal services departments and humane societies consider volunteers invaluable to the operation of their shelters and put a considerable amount of time and effort into recruiting and retaining volunteers. Edmonton Animal Services, on the other hand, not only do not use volunteers in any capacity they are adamantly opposed to the use of volunteers.

Most other animal services in Canada also operate volunteer foster home programs for special need animals such as those that are pregnant or require additional socialization in order to enhance their chances of being adopted. At these other services a significant amount of thought and effort has been put into the development and operation of innovative programs to care for animals both in their care and in the community. While all of the other animal services departments in Canada are more progressive and responsive than Edmonton's two stand far above the others. Calgary Animal Services has been so successful in reducing its euthanasia rates and increasing it's adoption and return to owner rates that it has become a model for other services throughout North America. The Ottawa Humane Society, which performs the same functions as Edmonton's Animal Services, is a model of transparency and operate a number of innovative programs.