The short answer
Ask the people you know, then list your dog free on LocalPetFinder with honest photos and a modest fee, visit the adopter's home, ask for ID, and do not be afraid to say no. That is the Ottawa Humane Society's own advice, and it keeps your dog home the whole time. If you need a shelter, every route in Ontario is by appointment or application: the Toronto and Ottawa humane societies charge nothing, Toronto Animal Services charges $75.33 for a dog, and waits depend on capacity. If the problem is money, a hospital stay or a crisis, the programs below may let you keep your dog.
Rehome your dog on LocalPetFinder, free
List your dog at no cost. They stay home until the right family is found, you screen adopters through a verified contact form, and you choose who adopts. Reviewed within 24 to 48 hours.
Listed by Ontario owners right now
125 dogs in Ontario are being rehomed by their owners on LocalPetFinder today. Your listing would sit alongside them, on the page for your city.
What each Ontario shelter asks at surrender
| Organisation | How | Fee | Wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Humane Society | Online surrender request; support offered first | None | Not published |
| Toronto Animal Services | Animal History Form, then an appointment at 416-338-PAWS; Toronto residents | $75.33 dog, $45.19 cat incl. HST; reduced or waived under $50,000 household income | Depends on shelter capacity |
| Ottawa Humane Society | Appointment only, 613-725-3166 ext. 223 or intake@ottawahumane.ca | None | Limited space; not published |
| Ontario SPCA animal centres | Email a Rehoming Profile; the centre contacts you | Not published | Not published |
| Hamilton/Burlington SPCA | Appointment required; explore options first | Adjustable by animal, history and income; up to $250 cat, $350 dog | Waitlists |
| KW Humane (Kitchener-Waterloo, Stratford-Perth) | Appointment only; contact for alternatives first | Not published | Waiting list at capacity |
Sources, read October 19, 2026: Toronto Humane Society, Toronto Animal Services, Ottawa Humane Society, Ontario SPCA, HBSPCA and KW Humane. Policies move with capacity, so confirm by phone.
Notice what every row has in common: nobody takes a walk-in, and most ask you to try other routes first. The Ottawa Humane Society recommends first trying to find a new, responsible home for your pet. Toronto Animal Services suggests finding them a new home instead of surrendering them to the shelter. The Toronto Humane Society offers pet parents support before it takes a surrender request. That is not a brush-off. It is the system telling you that a dog placed from your home into the next one skips the kennel entirely, and that you are the best-placed person to do it.
How to do the private route properly
The Ottawa Humane Society publishes the clearest checklist in the province for owners rehoming privately: ask for a fee, visit the prospective home, ask for valid identification, spay or neuter your pet before sending them to the new home, and do not be afraid to say no. The Toronto Humane Society runs a free self-rehoming platform, Home To Home, with one difference worth knowing: it asks that listed animals carry no rehoming or adoption fee. We side with Ottawa on the fee, because a free dog draws people who collect animals to resell, and a modest fee is the cheapest filter there is. You can always waive it for the right family.
A LocalPetFinder listing is that checklist with the strangers filtered out: your email stays private, adopters reach you through a verified contact form, your dog appears beside rescue dogs on your city's page, and you decide. Our screening guide has the questions to ask, the safety guide covers fees, meetings and handover, and handover day covers what to send with the dog.
Help that may let you keep your dog
- Toronto. The Toronto Humane Society's Pet Parent Support Network offers food, supplies, public veterinary services and behaviour help through a form, with replies in up to a week. Its temporary care program fosters your pet for a minimum of two weeks and up to six months during a crisis, with vet costs covered, and replies within three to five business days.
- Ottawa. The Ottawa Humane Society's emergency pet food bank offers eligible clients up to six pick-up appointments for up to three pets. Its community spay and neuter program is $100 per cat for income-qualified owners; there is no dog program.
- Province-wide. The Ontario SPCA distributes pet food through its animal centres and 68 partner food banks; ask your local centre for the Community Outreach Coordinator. The Hamilton/Burlington SPCA runs a pet pantry and pet health outreach, and KW Humane offers a pet pantry and emergency boarding.
If money or a short-term crisis is the reason, read our financial hardship guide and alternatives to rehoming before you decide. If you work through them and rehoming is still right, that is the responsible call, not a failure.
What Ontario law says
The Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 says no person shall cause an animal to be in distress and no owner or custodian shall permit it, where distress includes being in need of proper care, water, food or shelter. For an individual, a first major offence carries a fine of up to $130,000, up to two years in jail, or both. Animal Welfare Services in the Ministry of the Solicitor General enforces the Act 24 hours a day at 1-833-9-ANIMAL. There is no separate abandonment offence; leaving a dog in distress is the offence. None of this applies to an owner who rehomes through a listing or a shelter.
There is no minimum age for rehoming a puppy in force in Ontario: the Act's section on selling or transferring dogs contrary to regulations was enacted in 2024 but is not yet in force, and no regulation sets an age. Toronto's new pet establishment rules from February 1, 2027 apply to licensed businesses, not to private owners. Licensing is municipal, so check your own city for how a dog licence transfers. If you are placing a litter, start with our puppies guide.
Looking to adopt a rehomed dog in Ontario?
Dogs listed by their owners appear beside rescue dogs on every Ontario city page, with the owner's own account of why the dog is being rehomed. Start with dogs for rehoming in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton or London, the province's small dogs and senior dogs pages, or every adoptable dog on Ontario dog adoption.
Frequently asked questions
How do I rehome my dog in Ontario?
Ontario’s own shelters answer this the same way. The Ottawa Humane Society recommends first trying to find a new, responsible home for your pet; Toronto Animal Services suggests finding them a new home instead of surrendering; the Ontario SPCA says it tries to keep animals with their families wherever possible. So: ask your own circle, then list your dog free on LocalPetFinder so they stay home while adopters reach you through a verified contact form, and screen the family yourself. Surrender is the last step, and everywhere in Ontario it is by appointment or application.
I need to rehome my dog urgently. What do I do today?
Do three things at once. Submit a free LocalPetFinder listing, which is reviewed within a day or two. Phone your nearest humane society and explain the deadline; the Ottawa Humane Society takes intake calls at 613-725-3166 ext. 223, Toronto Animal Services books appointments at 416-338-PAWS, and the Toronto Humane Society takes surrender requests through an online form. And if the emergency is a hospital stay or a crisis rather than a permanent change, ask about temporary care: the Toronto Humane Society offers it for two weeks to six months.
How much does it cost to surrender a dog in Ontario?
It depends on the organisation. The Toronto Humane Society and the Ottawa Humane Society charge no surrender fee. Toronto Animal Services charges $75.33 for a dog and $45.19 for a cat including HST, reduced or waived for Toronto residents with a household income under $50,000. The Hamilton/Burlington SPCA charges an adjustable fee based on the animal, its history and household income, up to $350 for a dog. The Ontario SPCA and KW Humane publish no fee. Listing on LocalPetFinder is free.
Is there a waitlist to surrender a dog in Ontario?
Often. The Ottawa Humane Society takes animals by appointment only because of limited space and resources. Toronto Animal Services says shelter capacity may affect wait times and asks for an Animal History Form and proof you live in Toronto before it books you. The Hamilton/Burlington SPCA and KW Humane both describe waitlists when they are at capacity. The Ontario SPCA has you email a Rehoming Profile and a centre representative contacts you. A listing started today is the thing most likely to be moving while you wait.
Should I charge a rehoming fee?
Ontario shelters split on this, honestly. The Ottawa Humane Society’s advice to owners rehoming privately is to ask for a fee, visit the prospective home, ask for valid identification, spay or neuter first, and not be afraid to say no. The Toronto Humane Society’s Home To Home platform asks that listed animals carry no rehoming or adoption fee. We side with Ottawa: a modest fee filters out people who collect free animals to resell, and you can always waive it for the right family or donate it afterward.
Is it illegal to abandon a dog in Ontario?
Leaving a dog in distress is. The Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 says no person shall cause an animal to be in distress and no owner shall permit it, where distress includes being in need of proper care, water, food or shelter. For an individual a first major offence carries a fine of up to $130,000, up to two years in jail, or both. Animal Welfare Services in the Ministry of the Solicitor General enforces it, 24 hours a day, at 1-833-9-ANIMAL. Rehoming through a listing or a shelter is the lawful route.
Is there a minimum age to rehome puppies in Ontario?
Not in force. The Act contains a section on selling or transferring dogs contrary to regulations, but it was enacted in 2024 and is not yet in force, and no regulation sets an age. Toronto’s new pet establishment rules starting February 1, 2027 apply to licensed businesses, not private owners. Our puppies guide covers how to place a litter responsibly.
What help is there if I want to keep my dog?
The Toronto Humane Society’s Pet Parent Support Network offers food, supplies, public veterinary services and behaviour help through a form, with replies in up to a week, and its temporary care program fosters your pet for two weeks to six months during a crisis with vet costs covered. The Ottawa Humane Society runs an emergency pet food bank with up to six pick-ups for up to three pets, and a $100 spay or neuter program for cats. The Ontario SPCA distributes pet food through its centres and 68 partner food banks. The Hamilton/Burlington SPCA and KW Humane both run pet pantries, and KW Humane offers emergency boarding.
Related guides
Rehoming Guides by Province
Surrender rules, fees and the help that lets you keep your pet are different in every province. Each guide covers the shelters, the law and the owner-to-owner route where you live.