Best Dog Rescues in London, Ontario

The short answer

Want the widest choice of dogs? Humane Society London & Middlesex on Dundas Street, $500 for an adult dog. Want the lowest all-in cost? The London Animal Care Centre charges a flat $365 and includes a two-year City licence. Want to know how the dog behaves in a real house before you commit? ARF Ontario is foster-based, $500 for a dog over three months, with training sessions included. All three feed listings you can browse on LocalPetFinder London, refreshed regularly.

London is a city of roughly 420,000 people sitting at the centre of Southwestern Ontario, and its rescue scene is organized in a way that bigger markets are not. Toronto has dozens of rescues competing for the same adopters. London effectively has three main doors, each with a distinct job. One of those doors is municipal: the City of London contracts animal care and control to the London Animal Care Centre, which shelters strays and adopts them out alongside its enforcement work.

That simplicity is a gift. It means the decision comes down to one honest question: how much do you need to know about the dog before you say yes, and how much are you willing to pay and wait for that knowledge?

All three organizations below are verifiable, established, and appear on LocalPetFinder London, where you can browse available dogs in one place. The full first-year cost picture is covered separately, and it is larger than the adoption fee suggests.

Quick Comparison

Organization	Type	Adult Dog Fee	Timeline	Best For
HSLM	Open-admission shelter	$500	Application-led, about a week or more	Selection and age range
London Animal Care Centre	Municipal shelter	$365 flat	Fastest once approved	Lowest cost, licence included
ARF Ontario	Foster-based rescue	$500	Weeks, match-led	Behaviour notes and training

Fees reflect each organization's published pages as of July 2026. Confirm current details before applying.

The Three Rescues, Reviewed

Humane Society London & Middlesex

Open-admission shelterBest for: Broad selection and the widest range of ages

Adoption Fee

$600 puppies / $500 adult dogs / $300 seniors 10+ (each includes a $50 non-refundable administration charge)

HSLM is the anchor organization for dog rehoming across London and Middlesex County. It operates from 1414 Dundas Street and takes in strays, owner surrenders, and transfers, so the adoption floor turns over constantly and spans every size, age, and mix. The adoption fee covers spay or neuter depending on age, microchipping, flea treatment, initial vaccinations, initial deworming, rabies vaccination depending on age, and a seven-day supply of food. Adoption starts with a downloadable dog or puppy adoption form emailed to their adoptions team, not a walk-up purchase. HSLM has also announced a move to a new Old Oak Animal Campus, so confirm the current location before you drive out.

Where: 1414 Dundas Street, London, ON N5W 3B6

Phone: 519-451-0630

Visit website →

London Animal Care Centre

Municipal shelter and animal services contractorBest for: Lowest all-in fee, and the licence is handled for you

Adoption Fee

$365 flat, HST included

The LACC runs animal control, bylaw enforcement, dog licensing, and stray sheltering for the City of London under contract, from 121 Pine Valley Boulevard. That makes it the destination for most stray dogs picked up in the city, and adoptable strays whose owners never claim them get listed here. The flat $365 fee is the lowest of the three and bundles spay or neuter, microchipping, vaccination, rabies vaccination, deworming, flea treatment, and a two-year fee-waived City of London licence, which is worth real money on its own. Because intake is driven by strays rather than surrenders, inventory is less predictable and worth checking often.

Where: 121 Pine Valley Boulevard, London, ON

Phone: 519-685-1330

Visit website →

ARF Ontario

Foster-based rescueBest for: Foster-written behaviour notes and included training

Adoption Fee

$600 under three months, with a $200 rebate on proof of spay or neuter / $500 over three months

ARF Ontario is a London-based rescue working with First Nations and rural communities across Ontario to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome stray dogs and cats. It receives no government grants and runs on donations, adoption fees, and volunteer fundraising. Dogs live in foster homes rather than kennels, and the intake pipeline is deliberate: a 72-hour quarantine with deworming and parasite treatment, a veterinary exam with initial vaccinations and microchipping, spay or neuter surgery, and heartworm screening for adult dogs. Adopters get the full history and medical file before deciding. Every adoption also includes training sessions with Element Canine, which is the closest thing rescue offers to a guarantee against a dog bouncing back.

Where: Foster homes across London and Southwestern Ontario

Visit website →

What Each Route Actually Feels Like

The shelter routes

HSLM and the LACC both work from buildings full of kennelled dogs. That has a real advantage: you see a lot of dogs, staff know them, and the range of ages is wide. HSLM in particular lists seniors at $300, which is the best value in the city for anyone who wants a settled dog rather than a project.

The catch is the same at both. A kennel is a stressful place, and the dog you meet there is usually a muted or amplified version of the dog you get home. Some shut down and look calm. Others bark themselves hoarse and look unmanageable. Budget a few quiet weeks before you decide who your dog actually is.

The ARF Ontario route

You apply first and meet later. ARF reviews the application, runs a telephone interview, and proposes dogs whose foster families think you fit. The information advantage is genuine. A foster can tell you whether the dog counter-surfs, how it does on stairs, what it did the first time a delivery driver knocked.

Included training with Element Canine is worth more than most adopters realize. The first eight weeks are when small problems either get solved or become permanent, and having a trainer already attached to the adoption removes the excuse to put it off. The cost is patience, since volunteer-run means the timeline moves at volunteer speed.

How to Choose

Choose the London Animal Care Centre if budget is the binding constraint. At $365 with a two-year City licence folded in, it is the cheapest fully vetted dog in London by a clear margin, and the money you save covers a crate, a decent leash, and the first vet visit.

Choose HSLM if you want to compare a lot of dogs, or if you specifically want a senior. The $300 senior fee is the most underrated deal in the city. Older dogs are usually housetrained, past the destructive stage, and desperate for a couch.

Choose ARF Ontario if the match matters more than the timeline. Young kids, a resident cat, an apartment near Western, a first dog: all of those are arguments for knowing exactly what you are getting before you sign.

Whichever you choose, be honest on the application. A London student household that says someone is always home, when in truth the dog will be alone from 8 to 6, is describing a returned dog. These organizations have read that application a thousand times.

Other London-Area Rescues Worth Knowing

The three organizations above carry most of London's dog rehoming, but they are not the only doors. Two smaller groups are worth a look if the main three do not have your dog.

Salt Rescue operates out of Snowdon Crescent in London and rehomes both cats and dogs. A smaller operation than HSLM, which usually means fewer animals at any given moment but more individual attention on each one.

Animalert is a registered charity that has been running in the London area since 1977, handling both cats and dogs, and can be reached at 519-642-7732. Nearly fifty years of continuous operation is about as strong a legitimacy signal as a small rescue can offer.

Widen the search further and the Ontario SPCA runs animal centres and adoption programs across the province. For a breed-specific or special-needs dog, a provincial search often beats waiting for the right animal to appear in London.

Before you send anyone money

Rescue scams follow demand, and adopters wiring deposits for dogs that do not exist is a recurring Ontario story. Kijiji listings offering a free or nearly free purebred puppy, with a story about why you must pay a transport deposit today, are the classic version. The three organizations above are real, established, and verifiable. For anything else, confirm a live website, a visible adoption process that requires you to meet the dog, and a phone number that answers. Never e-transfer a deposit to hold a dog you have not seen in person. A legitimate rescue will never pressure you to decide within the hour.

Browse adoptable London dogs

Dogs from the London rescue network in one place, with filters for size, age, and compatibility. Refreshed regularly.

See Available London Dogs →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best dog rescue in London, Ontario?

It depends on what you want out of the process. Humane Society London & Middlesex has the widest selection and the broadest age range, from puppies at $600 down to seniors at $300. The London Animal Care Centre has the lowest fee at $365 flat and throws in a two-year City licence. ARF Ontario is the foster-based option, so you get real behaviour notes from the volunteer who lived with the dog, plus included training sessions. Most London adopters should check all three, because the right dog decides this more than the organization does.

How much does it cost to adopt a dog in London, Ontario?

Between $300 and $600 depending on where you go and how old the dog is. The London Animal Care Centre charges a flat $365 with HST included. HSLM charges $600 for puppies, $500 for adult dogs, and $300 for seniors ten and up, with a $50 non-refundable administration charge inside each. ARF Ontario charges $600 for puppies under three months with a $200 rebate once you prove the spay or neuter happened, and $500 for dogs over three months. Our London adoption costs guide breaks down the full first-year picture.

What is the London Animal Care Centre and is it a rescue?

The LACC is the organization that provides animal control, bylaw enforcement, dog licensing, and stray shelter services for the City of London under contract. It is a municipal contractor rather than a charity, but it does adopt out animals, and its stray intake means dogs land there that never touch the other two organizations. The flat $365 adoption fee includes a two-year fee-waived City of London licence, which no other London route gives you. If you want the cheapest fully vetted dog in the city, start there.

What does ARF Ontario stand for?

ARF is the Animal Rescue Foundation of Ontario, based in London. The organization works with First Nations and rural communities across the province, pulling stray dogs and cats out of areas with little or no local shelter capacity, then rehabilitating and rehoming them through a foster network. It gets no government funding and runs on donations, adoption fees, and volunteer fundraising. Because dogs live in foster homes, ARF can tell you how a dog actually behaves in a house rather than in a kennel.

Do London rescue dogs come spayed, neutered, and vaccinated?

Yes at all three organizations. HSLM includes spay or neuter depending on age, microchipping, flea treatment, initial vaccinations, deworming, rabies depending on age, and a week of food. The LACC includes spay or neuter, microchip, vaccination, rabies, deworming, and flea treatment. ARF spays or neuters every dog before adoption, with the exception of very young puppies, which is why the puppy fee carries a $200 rebate you claim once the surgery is done. That microchip matters in London, because it also cuts your annual licence fee.

Can I adopt a pit bull in London, Ontario?

No. Ontario restricts pit bulls province-wide under the Dog Owners Liability Act, so a London adopter cannot legally adopt a banned-type dog. Legitimate London-area rescues will not list one, and any organization offering you a pit bull in Ontario is a reason to walk away rather than a bargain. If breed type matters to you, ask the rescue directly about a specific dog before you apply, since mixed-breed identification is genuinely imprecise and the rescues take the question seriously.

How long does it take to adopt a dog in London?

Plan on a week or two at minimum, and longer for a foster-based match. HSLM works from a downloadable application you email to their adoptions team, so there is a review step before you meet anyone. The LACC handles adoptions at its Pine Valley Boulevard shelter and can move faster once you are approved. ARF Ontario is the slowest by design: an online application, a telephone interview, and a match led by the foster home. None of these routes rewards impatience, and the foster route in particular is worth the wait for a first-time owner.

Which London rescue is best for first-time dog owners?

ARF Ontario has the strongest case, because the foster family can tell you exactly how the dog handles kids, cats, other dogs, stairs, and being left alone, and the included Element Canine training sessions give you a structured start rather than a shrug. HSLM is also beginner-friendly, since staff work with the dogs daily and will steer you away from a mismatch if you are honest about your situation. Be straight on the application about your work hours and your housing. Overstating either produces exactly one outcome.

Are there other dog rescues around London, Ontario?

Yes. Southwestern Ontario has a scattering of smaller foster-based and breed-specific rescues that come and go, and the Ontario SPCA operates animal centres and adoption programs across the province. For a breed-specific or special-needs dog, those smaller groups are often the right next stop. Verify any organization before sending money: a live website, a visible adoption process, a real phone number, and a requirement that you meet the dog. A rescue that wants an e-transfer deposit for a dog you have never met is not a rescue.

Do London rescues adopt to people outside the city?

Generally yes, within a reasonable radius. HSLM serves London and Middlesex County, and adopters routinely come from St. Thomas, Strathroy, Woodstock, and the surrounding townships. ARF Ontario has foster homes spread across Southwestern Ontario and considers applicants beyond London. The LACC is a City of London operation, so ask about their current policy if you live outside the city limits. Expect to travel for the meet-and-greet regardless, and remember that an hour of driving is nothing measured against a twelve-year relationship.

Why adopt instead of buying a puppy in London?

Cost and information, in that order. A fully vetted rescue dog in London runs $365 to $600 with surgery, vaccines, and a microchip already done, work that costs considerably more purchased separately at a clinic. A breeder or an online seller cannot tell you how a puppy will handle a Western University student household, a toddler, or eight hours alone during a workday. The staff and foster volunteers here have watched these dogs for weeks. That observation is the single best predictor of how your next year goes.

What should I ask a London rescue before I apply?

Ask how the dog behaves alone, since that is the failure point that sends most adopted dogs back. Ask about resource guarding around food and toys, about stairs and car rides, and about how the dog handles other dogs on leash, which matters on the Thames Valley Parkway where you will meet a lot of them. Ask what medical work is done and what is still outstanding. Then ask the uncomfortable one: what would make this dog a bad fit for my home? A good rescue answers that honestly.