City of St. Thomas

For animal bites on people, rabies quarantine, and inspection please call Elgin-St. Thomas Public Health at 519-631-9900. Keep current records on your pets and ensure that these records are accessible.

For reporting a barking dog outside of office hours, please call St. Thomas City Police at 519-631-1364.

For dead animal pick up from City boulevards only, please call Customer Service at 519-631-1680, press 0.

If you would like to report a case of animal abuse or neglect please call Ontario Animal Protection at 1-833-926-4625. If you feel that the situation is an emergency that must be dealt with immediately call the police at 519-631-1364.

If you need to surrender your pet please be aware there is a $50 charge per animal. We accept dogs from St. Thomas, Aylmer and the Townships of Central Elgin, Malahide and Southwold. Only cats from St. Thomas will be accepted when room permits. We also have a cat waiting list which you can be placed on to bring in a cat as soon as room is available, if there is no room at the time of your inquiry. 

Please fill out the application. 

Animal Services will contact you after reviewing it to discuss next steps.Any vet records, and information you can give us regarding the surrendered animal is key to finding a new home for your pet. Please consider professional behaviour advice/services for a pet that has a behaviour problem that you are having difficulty dealing with. In some cases undiscovered medical conditions can cause a pet's negative behaviour, and should always be ruled out as a cause for the behaviour. We highly recommend contacting rescue groups first to see if they would be able to take in your animal, see the Rescue Resources page for a list of rescue groups. We reserve the right to refuse any owner surrender.

We accept volunteers 18 years of age or older OR 14 years of age and registered at a local secondary school. A satisfactory criminal record check is required prior to starting. If you are interested please fill out an application and return it to the City Animal Services Centre.

City Animal Services will pick up sick or injured raccoons on city property only. Wildlife on private property must be dealt with by a pest control company.

Elgin Pest Control - 519-637-3988
Pest Control Service - 519-633-7378
Wild Things Wildlife Control - 519-435-1470.

If you find orphaned, sick or injured wild life please contact either Another Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation or Salt Haven Rehabilitation.  Wildlife Information provided by Carol Clarke, Wildlife Rehabilitator.  Another Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation also accepts non-clumping clay litter and puppy chow.

Please call Carol at 519-868-1937 to arrange for pick-up.

Stray dogs or cats found in the City of St. Thomas can be picked up by any resident and delivered to The City Animal Services Centre to be sheltered. No feral cats will be accepted. All stray cats must be friendly and able to be handled by humans.

Dogs and cats may be reclaimed by an owner with proper payment of the redemption fee. Redemption fees cover impound charges and board (of every day including part of a day). If a dog or cat is not claimed within 72 hours of impound the owner forfeits the pet and all rights to it. All unclaimed pets beyond the redemption period are screened for temperament and health.

Staff members may be away from the shelter throughout the day. It is best to call ahead and set up a time to drop in. Call 519-631-7430 to make an appointment.

Animal Rescue Resources

St. Thomas Rescue Groups

All Breed Canine Rescue - dogs and cats available to adopt or foster
Animal Aide - cats available to adopt or foster
Pet Friends 4 Life - cats available to adopt or foster

Partners in Rescue

Animalert - dogs and cats available to adopt or foster
Gentle Jake's Coonhound Rescue - coonhounds available to adopt or foster
Golden Rescue - golden retrievers available to adopt or foster
Holly's Hope - cats available to adopt or foster
Labrador Retriever Adoption Services Inc. - labs available to adopt or foster
Paws United Dog Rescue - dogs available to adopt
Second Chance Auction Animal Rescue - cats and dogs available to adopt or foster
Speaking of Dogs - dogs available to adopt or foster
East Village Animal Hospital - veterinary services for low income individuals, those on social assistance, animal rescue groups, human societies and municipal shelters
Hoppy Hearts Rabbit Rescue - domestic rabbits available to adopt or foster

St. Thomas Dog Owners Association

St. Thomas Dog Owners Association, STDOA, promotes off leash dog parks and supports responsible dog ownership and the welfare of dogs. For further information on the St. Thomas Dog Owners Association, please visit their Facebook group.

The St. Thomas Dog Owners Association has partnered with the Caring Cupboard Food Bank in St. Thomas to create the Caring Pet Cupboard to provide an easy network to collect and distribute pet food donations to people who need it.

Lost or stray dogs or cats can be turned in by residents or captured by City Animal Services staff. Please contact The City Animal Services Centre at 519-631-7430. For a list of lost and adoptable dogs and cats please visit our Petfinder webpage.

Upon entering a dog or cat as stray or lost, City Animal Services staff scans for the presence of an identification microchip. If a microchip is found, ownership information is obtained and the lost or stray animal is returned to the owner. The City Animal Services Centre recommends that owners microchip their dogs and cats.

 

2020 Dog and Cat Tags

2020 Dog Tag and Cat Tags are available for purchase at:

• Abbeydale Animal Hospital (26 Sparling Road)
• St. Thomas City Hall Customer Service (545 Talbot Street)
• St. Thomas Animal Shelter (100 Burwell Road)
• Animal Aide Cat Adoption Centre (333 Talbot Street
• South West Pet (1063 Talbot Street)    
• Pet Valu (1010 Talbot Street)
• Global Pet Foods (900 Talbot Street)
• Ted's Place (431 Talbot Street) - Dog Tags Only

  Dog Tag Prices

  	Before February 15	After February 15
  Neutered Male	$30.00	$35.00
  Female Spayed	$30.00	$35.00
  Male or Female	$55.00	$60.00

  Cat Tag Prices

  	Before February 15	After February 15
  Neutered Male	$10.00	$15.00
  Female Spayed	$10.00	$15.00
  Male or Female	$35.00	$40.00

Rats are common in urban areas. The risk of rats spreading diseases is low, but they can cause damage to homes and property. While rats generally avoid contact with humans, they will enter your home to seek food, water and shelter if given a chance.

Tips on Rat Control