Showing 58 dogs
Zeus
4 years 6 months • Retriever, Labrador/Rottweiler
Cambridge & District Humane Society
Get notified when a Labrador Retriever is listed
We will email you the moment a Labrador Retriever becomes available in Ontario, from a rescue or an owner rehoming.
Might also be a match
These 52 dogs look like Labrador Retriever in Ontario, but their shelter hasn’t listed a breed — so they are recorded simply as a mixed breed. We spotted the resemblance from their photo.
It's a guess from a picture, not a DNA test, so treat it as a starting point. Most rescue dogs are mixes, and the shelter is the best source on any individual dog.
Adopting a Labrador Retriever in Ontario
The Labrador is consistently one of the most popular dogs in Canada, and Labs plus Lab crosses are among the most frequently adopted dogs in Ontario rescue. They come through the Toronto Humane Society, the Ottawa Humane Society, the Ontario SPCA, and most foster-based rescues in the province. This page gathers every adoptable Lab from the Ontario shelters we cover into one searchable place, refreshed regularly.
Purebred Labs do appear in rescue, but a large share of "Labs" in Ontario shelters are Lab crosses, which is good news for adopters: you get the friendly, trainable Lab temperament, often with fewer of the breed-specific health issues. Search province-wide and be ready to drive a couple of hours for the right match.
What to know before you adopt
Labs are friendly, food-motivated, and easy to train, which is exactly why they suit first-time owners and families. The catch is energy: a young Lab needs real daily exercise and a job, or it will find one, usually involving your furniture. They are also prone to weight gain, so an Ontario adopter should plan for measured feeding and steady activity year-round, including the cold months when it is tempting to skip the walk.
Ask the rescue about the dog history with kids, cats, and other dogs, and about any food-guarding. Labs are generally social, but every dog is an individual. A foster-based rescue will usually have detailed notes on how the dog behaves in a real home.
Looking more broadly? Browse every adoptable dog across the province on Dog Adoption Ontario.
The rescues that most often list Labrador Retrievers across the province are Toronto Humane Society, Ottawa Humane Society, and Ontario SPCA (Ottawa Area). For breed-specific background, the Canadian Kennel Club is a useful reference.
Labrador Retriever Adoption FAQ — Ontario
How many Labrador Retrievers are available for adoption in Ontario?
As of September 2026, 58 Labrador Retrievers are available for adoption in Ontario across 18 rescues on LocalPetFinder. Listings update regularly as dogs are adopted and new ones arrive — browse the current Labrador Retrievers above and apply directly through the rescue.
Where can I adopt a Labrador near me in Ontario?
LocalPetFinder lists adoptable Labrador Retrievers and Lab crosses from Ontario shelters including the Toronto Humane Society, the Ottawa Humane Society, and Ontario SPCA branches. Browse this page province-wide or filter to Toronto or Ottawa. Listings refresh regularly and you apply directly with the rescue.
Are Lab crosses easier to adopt than purebred Labs in Ontario?
Often, yes. Purebred Labs get adopted quickly and sometimes have waitlists, while Lab crosses are more plentiful in Ontario rescue and just as friendly and trainable. If you are open to a cross, you will usually find a match faster and may avoid some breed-specific health risks.
Are Labradors good family dogs?
Labs are one of the most reliable family breeds: social, patient, and easy to train. Most do well with respectful children and other pets. As with any dog, supervise early introductions and ask the rescue how the specific dog has been with kids, since a shelter dog history matters more than the breed average.
How much does it cost to adopt a Lab in Ontario?
Adult-dog adoption fees in Ontario generally run about $300 to $600, covering spay or neuter, vaccinations, deworming, and microchip. That is well below the first-year cost of buying a puppy, and the dog arrives already vetted.
Are black, yellow, and chocolate Labs different, and what about English vs American?
They are all one breed. Black, yellow, and chocolate are just coat colours, and all three can appear in the same litter (fox red and white are shades of yellow). The bigger difference is type: English or show Labs tend to be stockier, calmer, and blockier-headed, while American or field Labs are leaner, taller, and higher-energy. In rescue you will mostly meet Labs and Lab mixes of unknown type, so judge the individual dog's energy and drive rather than its colour, which tells you nothing about temperament.
Are these Labrador Retrievers for sale in Ontario?
Not for sale, for adoption, which is usually the better deal. Every Labrador Retriever here comes from an Ontario rescue or shelter, not a breeder, pet store, or classified seller. Adoption fees are typically $400 to $800, with puppies at $600 to $1,000 and already include vaccinations, deworming, microchip and spay or neuter when age-appropriate, versus roughly $2,000 to $5,000 or more to buy a Labrador Retriever from a breeder. If you searched "labrador retriever for sale ontario" or "labrador retriever puppies for sale," adopting gets you a healthy, vetted dog for a fraction of the price.
Where can I buy a Labrador Retriever in Ontario, and should I?
You can buy from a registered breeder, but it is worth weighing against adoption first. A reputable Labrador Retriever breeder typically charges $2,000 to $5,000 or more and often has a waitlist, while a rescue Labrador Retriever costs $400 to $800, with puppies at $600 to $1,000 fully vetted and may be available now. Be cautious of cheap labrador retriever-for-sale ads on classified sites and marketplaces, which are frequently backyard breeders or puppy-mill resellers with unvetted, sometimes sick animals and no health guarantee. If you do buy, insist on seeing where the puppies were raised and getting vet records. For most families in Ontario, adopting a rescue Labrador Retriever is cheaper, faster, and gives a dog in need a home.
Are there free Labrador Retrievers in Ontario, or labrador retrievers under $500?
Adoption is the closest honest answer, and it is not free. A rescue Labrador Retriever in Ontario typically costs $400 to $800, with puppies at $600 to $1,000, so the lower end lands under the "$500" people search for and the rest does not. What the fee buys is work already done, the vaccinations, deworming, microchip and spay or neuter, which would cost more than the fee itself if you arranged it yourself, and it is still far below breeder prices. Be wary of genuinely free labrador retriever listings. An animal advertised free to a good home has usually not been vetted, and free rehoming ads are the route flippers and unregistered breeders use to move animals with no health guarantee and no recourse. Paying a rescue fee buys you a dog someone has already examined, treated, and been honest with you about.
Are there Labrador Retriever puppies in Ontario, or only adults?
Both, but adults far outnumber puppies, and it is worth knowing that before you start looking. Most Labrador Retrievers arriving in Ontario rescue are adolescents and adults, because that is the age at which first homes tend to give up. Puppies do come through, usually as accidental litters or with a surrendered mother, and they are typically spoken for quickly. Setting an alert beats refreshing the page. It is also worth asking whether you actually want one: an adult arrives with a temperament a foster has already observed and described, where a Labrador Retriever puppy is a prediction, and for this breed in particular knowing what you are getting is the more useful thing.
Where can I find a Labrador Retriever near me in Ontario?
Start with the listings on this page, which pull from Ontario rescues and shelters and are refreshed regularly, so what you see is what is genuinely available rather than a stale directory. If nothing suits today, that is normal for this breed: rescue intake is intermittent rather than steady, and a breed with none listed this week often has several next month. Setting an alert beats checking back, and it is worth widening to nearby towns, since most rescues serving Ontario will adopt out across a reasonable driving distance rather than only inside one municipality.
Popular dog breeds in Ontario
Labrador Retriever adoption by city in Ontario
Each city page lists only the labrador retrievers available from rescues serving that city, with local adoption details.
Need to rehome a Labrador Retriever?
If you can no longer keep your Labrador Retriever, you can list them for free on LocalPetFinder. Your dog stays in your home until you find the right family, you screen who applies, and there is no surrender fee. Not sure yet? Our guide to surrendering a dog in Canada walks through every option first.
List your dog for free →