British Columbia Rescue Organizations & Shelters
Please Note: Breed specific rescue organizations are listed under the individual breed sections of this website.
For ease in finding a rescue organization near you, the shelters/rescues are listed under specific regions. Please note that some of these rescue groups do provide services/foster care throughout the province and/or in regions beyond their listing.
Shelter & Rescue Listings in British Columbia
Rescues/Shelters across British Columbia:
Vancouver / Lower Mainland
- Animal Advocates Society
— Animal rescue, especially chained, abused, neglected dogs. Advocating against all animal cruelty, including puppy mills, feral cats, and farm animals.
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Email: animaladvocates@telus.net - Big Heart Rescue
— Big Heart Rescue works within the Province of British Columbia with a special focus on remote First Nations Reserves, such as Bella Bella, Shear Water, and Bella Coola on the Central Coast, and Kuper Island in the Gulf Islands. We are funded 100% by generous donations from the community members and supporters with proceeds going directly to the care and rehabilitation of companions in need of medical intervention, training, and re-homing.
Tel.: (604) 583-3647
E-mail: bigheartrescue@gmail.com - BCSPCA — British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
— The BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the quality of life for the animals of the world.
— BC SPCA Administration Centre:
1245 East 7th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5T 1R1
Tel.: (604) 681-7271 or 1-800-665-1868 toll-free outside the Lower Mainland
E-mail: info@spca.bc.ca
— BC SPCA Locations — List of all BC SPCA locations. - City of Coquitlam Animal Shelter
— A municipally run no-kill for adoptable animals shelter.
500 Mariner Way
Coquitlam, BC
Tel.: 604-933-7387
E-mail: shylton@coquitlam.ca - Cross Our Paws RESCUE
— A small group of dedicated volunteers who love animals and have joined together to help rescue, provide medical care, rehabilitate and rehome abused, abandoned, homeless animals.
North Vancouver, BC
E-mail: crossourpaws@yahoo.ca - District of North Vancouver Animal Welfare Shelter
— A government funded facility, which provides a temporary home for animals until a responsible life long home is found.
299 Mansfield Place
North Vancouver, BC
Tel.: 604-990-3711
E-mail: paws@dnv.org - Fraser Valley Humane Society
— A non-profit, registered charity, located in Mission, B.C. There to help their communities and their animals in need.
33103 N. Railway Avenue
Mission, BC V2V 1E3
Tel.: (604) 820-2977
E-mail: fvhumanesociety@telus.net - Home At Last Dog Rescue BC
— Home At Last Dog Rescue BC is a newly established home-based, non-profit all volunteer organization committed to saving abandoned, neglected and/or abused dogs. We are dedicated to placing our dogs in need into permanent, safe, caring new homes, giving them a second chance for a better life.
White Rock / Surrey, BC
Email: maureen.haldr@gmail.com
Website: www.homeatlastdogrescuebc.ca - Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS)
— The LAPS was formed by a dedicated group of volunteers due to the closure of the Langley SPCA. The Langley Animal Protection Society is a registered non-profit society with charitbable status.
26220-56th Avenue
Aldergrove BC V4W 1J7
Email: langleyanimalshelter@lapsbc.ca
Tel.: (604) 857-5055
Fax: (604) 857-5057 - Loveabull Rescue Society
— “Our mission is to help rescue, rehabilitate, and find loving homes for stray, abandoned or unwanted dogs. We focus primarily on Bully breeds however we don’t discriminate against other breeds.”
Surrey, British Columbia
Email: loveabullsociety@gmail.com
Website: www.loveabullsociety.com - Pekingese Rescue of BC
“We are a non profit that rescues Pekingese and will take in other breeds needing help when we have room. We take in owner surrenders and we rehabilitate behavior issues and train before posting for adoption. We are our own Pekingese shelter and do not use foster homes. All our rescues live with our founder, located in Vancouver BC.”
Email: lisabogardi@hotmail.com - Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS)
— A registered charity that operates two shelters in the City of Richmond, British Columbia.
Richmond, BC
Tel.: 604-275-2036
Email: raps.shelter@telus.net - Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue
— Founder, Rory O’Neill is a dog behavioral consultant, trainer and rescuer, saving animals worldwide. Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue focuses on Canada, yet at the same time, helps groups in other parts of the world desperate for help. There were thousands of dogs and cats left behind starving and breeding after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans; Tiajuana, Mexico, where breeders abandon small dogs like chihuahuas by the hundreds; Baja, Mexico, where spay and neuter is infrequent, and friendly, beautiful dogs are rapidly breeding and being killed inhumanely. Rory O’Neill helps match people wanting to give a loving home to a pet, to animals desperate and deserving of a life. She also has contacts with many overcrowded shelters, where darling cats, dogs, puppies, and kittens, don’t always have much time before the “shelter” euthanizes them. People adopting from Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue are literally saving a dog or cat from a life of misery and/or no life at all.
— Based in Calgary, Alberta but providing worldwide rescue.
Website: www.rockymountainanimalrescue.com
E-mail: rockymountainanimalrescue@gmail.com (preferred method of contact due to time)
Phone: 403-673-3224 Office (voice mail)
Cell Phone: 805-722-5906 (no voice mail, for urgencies) - Royal City Humane Society
— New Westminster, BC — A no-kill shelter for animals in need.
E-mail: info@rchs.bc.ca - S.A.R.A. Society (Save Animals through Rescue and Adoption)
— A non-profit organization, completely run by dedicated volunteers. S.A.R.A. Society is a no-kill shelter located in Surrey, British Columbia.
Surrey, BC
E-mail: sarasociety@gmail.com - SAINTS – Senior Animals In Need Today Society
— An end-of-life sanctuary for senior and special needs animals that have nowhere else to go.
Mission, BC
E-mail: adopt@saintsrescue.ca - Whistler Animals Galore Society: WAG
— WAG is the safety net for lost, abandoned, and harmed animals in the region. From Whistler to Lillooet, WAG offers hope to all animals in need.
8000 Nesters Road
Whistler, BC
Tel.: 604-935-8364
E-mail: wag@whistlerwag.com
Victoria, Vancouver Island & Other Islands
- BCSPCA — Nanaimo & District Branch
— The BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the quality of life for the animals of the world.
2200 Labieux Road
Nanaimo, BC
Tel.: (250) 758-8444
E-mail: nanspca@shaw.ca
- Big Heart Rescue
— Big Heart Rescue works within the Province of British Columbia with a special focus on remote First Nations Reserves, such as Bella Bella, Shear Water, and Bella Coola on the Central Coast, and Kuper Island in the Gulf Islands. We are funded 100% by generous donations from the community members and supporters with proceeds going directly to the care and rehabilitation of companions in need of medical intervention, training, and re-homing.
Tel.: (604) 583-3647
E-mail: bigheartrescue@gmail.com
- Dog Bless Rescue Partners
— A registered non-profit animal rescue group located in Victoria, BC, with a mandate to save the lives of companion animals who would otherwise be euthanized in US shelters.
Victoria, BC
E-mail: dogbless@shaw.ca
- Mosaic Rescue
— A registered non profit society dedicated to the rescue and adoption of small and medium sized mixed breed dogs who end up in US kill facilities.
Victoria, BC
E-mail: info@mosaicrescue.ca
- Vancouver Island Dogs Rescue Society
— We are a non profit, incorporated society who helps dogs in Western Canada with a main focus on dogs from British Columbia. Our purpose is: (a) to rescue dogs in need; (b) to rehabilitate, foster, train, put up for adoption and find homes for rescued dogs (c) to provide pet ownership education; (d) to provide support for new dog owners and foster dog parents.
Email: info@islanddogsrescue.com
Website: www.islanddogsrescue.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/VancouverIslandDogsRescueSociety
- Victoria Adoptables
— Animal Adoption Information Portal — Providing a place for rescue organizations, shelters & pounds in Greater Victoria, Vancouver Island & the Gulf Islands to post animals in need of homes.
- Victoria Pet Adoption Society
— A registered non-profit organization that operates through Shaw Pet Hospitals in Victoria, BC, Canada. VPAS’ goal is to re-home unwanted pets to good, approved homes.
1782 Stellys X Rd.
Saanichton, BC
Tel.: 250-412-3827
E-mail: victoriapets@gmail.com
Kootenay Region
- BCSPCA — East Kootenay Branch Cranbrook
— The BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the quality of life for the animals of the world.
3339 Highways 3 & 95
P.O. Box 2
Cranbrook, BC V1C 4H6
Tel.: (250) 426-6751 - Creston Pet Adoption and Welfare Society
— The Creston Pet Adoption and Welfare Society (PAWS) is a registered, non-profit society committed to finding safe, comfortable homes for abandoned and unwanted animals in the Creston Valley.
Tel.: (250) 428-7297
E-mail: pets@pawscreston.ca - GALS-Global Animal Lovers Society
— Our main focus is to help curb the global pet over population issue by being involved with spay and neuter clinics around the world! We volunteer at clinics, fund-raise and collect supplies necessary for these clinics to continue! We also help in placing animals that have no where to go after these clinics. Spay and Neuter! It is the only answer to our global problem of the ever-growing pet population!
When able, GALS takes in ‘urgent’ dogs through requests from various shelters in Canada. All dogs that are taken in, are spayed/neutered and vaccinated prior to finding fabulous forever homes!
Invermere, British Columbia
Tel.: 250-342-1007; Cell: 250-688-7387
Email: info@globalanimallovers.com
Website: www.globalanimallovers.com
Kamloops / Okanagan
- Angel’s Animal Rescue — ‘Break the Chain of Abuse’
— Serving Merritt and surrounding areas (Merritt, Logan Lake, Ascroft, Cache Creek)
2460 Torgerson Road
Merritt, BC V1K 1R5
Tel.: (250)-378-5223
E-mail: gwc.9@hotmail.com
Website: www.angelsanimalrescue.ca
- BCSPCA – Kamloops Branch
— Serving Kamloops, Barriere, Savona, Logan Lake, Pritchard and Chase.
1211 – 8th Street
Kamloops, BC V2B 2Y3
Tel.: (250) 376-7722
Fax: (250) 376-7723
E-mail: kamloopsspca@shawcable.com
- BCSPCA – Kelowna Branch
— Serving Kelowna, Rutland, Joe Rich, Peachland, Westbank, Winfield and Oyama.
3785 Casorso Road
Kelowna, BC V1W 4M7
Tel.: (250) 861-7722
Fax: (250) 868-2830
- BCSPCA – Vernon & District Branch
— Serving Vernon, Coldstream, Lumby, Armstrong and Falkland.
4800 Haney Road
Vernon, BC V1H 1P6
Tel.: (250) 549-7297
Fax: (250) 545-2910
E-mail: vernon@spca.bc.ca
- Kamloops & District Humane Society
— The Kamloops & District Humane Society is a registered charitable group which is made up of dedicated volunteers who have worked tirelessly on behalf of companion animals and their owners since 1993. We shelter and adopt out homeless pets as well as offering a low cost spay/neuter program.
Kamloops, BC
Tel.: 250-376-1366
Email: kamloopshumanesociety@gmail.com
- Paws it Forward Dog Rescue
— “Our rescue is based in Kelowna, BC and is 100% non-profit, run completely by volunteers and generous donations. Paws it Forward Dog Rescue is committed to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing dogs in need. All our dogs are spay/neutered, vet checked, microchipped/tattooed and vaccinated prior to adoption.”
Kelowna, BC
Website: www.pawsitforward.org
Email: pawsitforward@hotmail.com or pawsitforwardvolunteers@outlook.com
Cariboo / Northern BC
- 100 Mile House BC SPCA
— Located in the South Cariboo region on Highway 97, 5 1/2 hours northeast of Vancouver, B.C.
100 Mile House, BC
Tel.: 250-395-5303
E-mail: onehundredmilespca@yahoo.com
Breed Listing
Would you like your Rescue/Shelter listed here?
While we would like to be able to offer all not-for-profit, legitimate Rescue Organizations the opportunity to be included in the listings, we are concerned about unintentionally including organizations who are questionable in their rescue practices. Therefore, we request that all Rescue Organizations complete a Rescue Questionnaire in order to be accepted for inclusion on the website.
We do not recommend, endorse or support any one organization over another and we will never knowingly list an organization who runs a puppy mill, backyard style breeding operation, or sells their dogs (or any animal) to brokers, pet stores or retailers of any kind. We reserve the right to refuse any listing/link as well as the right to immediately remove the listing/link of any organization who has already been listed at our sole discretion.
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