Animal Services

The City of Cambridge offers a number of animal services, including licensing and wildlife services. For other animal services in the area, you can contact the Cambridge and District Humane Society.

Quick links:

  1. Animal Control
  2. Animal Licenses
  3. Coyotes
  4. Wildlife

Animal Control

The Cambridge & District Humane Society is contracted by the City of Cambridge to provide animal services, including sick and injured wildlife in need.

For animal services, please contact Cambridge Animal Services at (519) 623-7722 and follow the prompts.  

For after-hours emergencies, such as sick or injured wildlife, a CDHS Team Member will gather information and provide you with assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are encouraged to leave a message.

Cambridge & District Human Society is located at:

1660 Dunbar Road
Cambridge, ON N1R 8J5

Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Cambridge & District Humane Society is closed on Sundays and statutory holidays, but you can still call and leave a message.

Call the Lost Pet Direct Line to report a lost pet: (519) 623-7722 ext. 223 or fill out the online form.

Learn more about:

Animal Licenses

The City of Cambridge requires dog owners to have their pet licensed each year in order to meet the rules of our Dog By-law. A license also serves as another form of identification for your dog.

If your dog has a licensed tag with the City and is lost and found, your information is available so we can reunite you with your dog quickly.

If your dog ends up in the City Pound, a free ride home may be available if your dog is:

  • Wearing a valid Cambridge City Tag
  • Not causing problems while loose
  • Not a repeat visitor to the pound

Licensing details

Dog owners in Cambridge need to register and license their dog annually. This must happen before January 1 of that year or within 30 days of becoming the owner of a dog.

When dog owners are applying for their annual license, they must provide proof that their dog has had a rabies vaccine, provided by a certified vet, within the past 2 years.

Visit the Animal Services Cambridge website for more information.

Coyotes

Coyotes are found in urban areas throughout North America, including Cambridge. Seeing a coyote in Cambridge is not necessarily cause for alarm. Coyotes are not considered a significant risk to people. They are usually wary of humans and avoid people whenever possible, however they are wild animals and we should avoid contact. Most negative coyote interactions are preventable. When we are aware and knowledgeable of our wildlife and act responsibly and respectfully, it is easier to coexist.

While hazing usually works to frighten off a coyote, it doesn't always work during the spring when there is a den and pups to defend. The Urban Coyote Initiative states: "If a coyote seems intent on defending a certain area, particularly around pupping season, your best bet may be to alter your route to avoid conflict with a normally calm animal."

Discourage coyotes from entering your property:

  • Never feed or leave food out for a coyote.
  • Remove all water and food sources from your yard, including birdseed and ripe/rotted fruit that has fallen to the ground
  • Store garbage, compost and pet food in a place coyotes cannot access.
  • Supervise animals when they are in the yard. Cats should not be permitted to roam freely.
  • Clean up after your dog. Coyotes are attracted to dog feces.
  • Remove long grass, dead brush and wood piles. These conditions provide potential den sites for coyotes or other wild animals that attract coyotes.
  • Ensure gaps around and under decks and sheds are closed off with wire screening.
  • Use motion sensors.

If you encounter a coyote on your property or when out for a walk:

  • Practice hazing to let the coyote know they are not welcome. Appear aggressive: stand tall, wave your arms, shout, clap your hands and make lots of noise.
  • Keep pets attended and on leash.
  • Do not turn your back on, or run from, a coyote
  • If you see pups or suspect there are pups in the area or if the coyote is not easily frightened away, keep your dog on a short leash, pick up small pets and children, and back away from the area. Consider changing your route for a few weeks. The coyote may have been denning in the area and will likely move on after some time
  • Do not leave food waste in garbage cans in parks as this may attract rodents which may in turn attract coyotes.

Capture and relocation of coyotes more than one kilometre away is not permitted under Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. Research shows wildlife relocated from urban areas usually return or become a problem elsewhere. In addition, when coyotes are hunted or lethally destroyed, remaining ones compensate by producing larger litters and expanding their range. Only in rare cases where an individual coyote is demonstrating unusual/aggressive behaviour or severe trauma or illness do animal control agencies capture coyotes.

Wildlife

Many types of wildlife live in the city of Cambridge. These animals include:

  • Skunks
  • Raccoons
  • Foxes
  • Coyotes

They have learned to live in the city and will commonly be less afraid of people compared to animals outside the city. As the city expands, we will move further into natural habitats of animals. This forces the wildlife to adapt to us, so we need to do our part to live with them.

A common misconception is that any nocturnal (active at night) animal that comes out during the day has rabies. This is false - urban wildlife often wander around in the daylight. This is a result of light pollution from streetlights and signs, as well as the amount of food available, not because the animals are sick. We receive many calls about injured or sick animals out during the day that are in fact healthy animals.

There are wildlife rehab facilities you can contact to report injured or orphaned wildlife.

For after-hours emergencies, such as sick or injured wildlife, please call the CDHS at 519-623-7722. A CDHS Team Member will gather information and provide you with assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are encouraged to leave a message

Some general rules you should follow when dealing with wildlife include:

  • Leave wildlife alone when you encounter them, they can become aggressive if they feel threatened.
  • Keep your dogs on a leash when off your property. It is safer for both your pet and wildlife, and is a regulation of our animal by-laws.
  • Do not feed wildlife as it can do more harm than good.
  • Always clean up garbage from parks, playgrounds, and public places.
  • Do not feed your pet outside as it encourages wildlife and stray cats to visit your property.