The City of Calgary’s Animal Services is asking Calgarians with big hearts and healthy homes to open their doors for a new family pet this weekend.
On Oct. 2, Animal Services launched its adopt-a-dog weekend for the 30 dogs currently in their care, with added incentives, including discounted adoption fees, spaying and neutering, vaccination, and free year-long licensing with the City of Calgary.
The demographics for dogs at Animal Services are different from those of cats, owing to Calgary not having a stray dog population, said Kathleen Dickson, Coordinator at the Animal Care and Clinic Services at the City of Calgary Animal Services Centre.
“Our assumption is the majority of these animals have owners, and those owners have not been able to come and claim them for whatever reason,” she said.
“In fact, in 2025, we’ve impounded over 1,000 stray dogs this year, and unfortunately, only 66 per cent have been reunited with their owners. So, that 66 per cent of owners are coming to claim their pets, where 10 short years ago we were reuniting over 90 per cent of our impounded dogs with their owners.”
The longest-term dog currently up for adoption is Topaz, who was brought to the centre in April.
“We just haven’t been able to find the right fit for her. She does get along with other dogs. She is a little nervous of some men, but warms up pretty quickly. We, the whole team, would love to see her get adopted, but we have many great dogs with different temperaments and personalities that if you come in and see the dogs we have available for adoption, we will hopefully find you the right pet,” said Dickson.
She said that Animal Services has dogs of all ages, from puppies to adults, to be adopted, but that the focus for the event was to ensure that some of the older dogs find a good permanent home.
The weekend adoption event builds on the success of the previous week’s cat adoption event, which saw 60 cats of all ages be adopted.
“We’re concentrating on dogs this week. We wanted to give them their own week so we can concentrate all of our efforts on getting as many dogs adopted as possible,” said Dickson.
No appointments are needed to see the dogs; however, depending on how many people want to see the dogs, there may be a bit of a wait to ensure the health and safety of the animals.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 2 and 3, and then from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 4, at the Animal Services Centre at 2201 Portland Street SE.
Dog adoptions are $225 plus GST.
