Cochrane & Area Humane Society - Cochrane, Alberta

Michelle S.

Quel bel environnement pour les animaux!

Upi

Volunteering at Cochrane Humane Society has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The staff and fellow volunteers are deeply compassionate and dedicated to giving every animal the love, care, and second chance they deserve.

The cats here, each with their own personality and story, are truly something special. Some are playful and bold, others are gentle and shy—but all of them are looking for a safe, loving home. Spending time with them, you see how resilient and affectionate they are. It’s impossible not to fall in love.

If you’ve been thinking about adopting, I wholeheartedly encourage you to stop by and meet these amazing cats in person. Whether you’re looking for a lap cat, a curious explorer, or a quiet companion, there’s someone here waiting for you.

Chelsea L.

Absolutely love The Cochrane Humane society. We adopted our dog Bean back in March and it couldn’t have been a more seamless and easy interaction.
We have recently taken Bean to their training classes as well. All the staff we’ve had a pleasure of meeting or working with have been very supportive and kind.
If you or someone you know is in need of a new furry friend, I would highly recommend Cochrane Humane to find a forever furry friend!

Annie W.

FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL STAFF

Christie, the Administrative Assistant at the front desk, is kind, courteous, and always helpful. The volunteers and staff have been very kind, hard working and considerate.

GREAT PLACE TO ADOPT PETS

Our family has adopted several cats from the Cochrane Humane Society. They have been loving companions and a wonderful addition to our home.

VARIETY OF ANIMALS AVAILABLE

Most pets up for adoption are cats and dogs, but they occasionally have rabbits and other small animals.

FOSTERING OPPORTUNITIES

If adoption isn’t an option, fostering animals is a great way to help. This is a wonderful service to the community. The shelter relies on volunteers to support its mission.

DONATIONS WELCOME

Pet supplies, food, and financial contributions are always appreciated.

SUMMARY

The Cochrane Humane Society is a great place to adopt, foster, or support animals in need. The staff is welcoming, and they always appreciate help from the community.

Annie W.
Master Reviewer
Local Guide / Google Maps

Jeni T.

I brought a kitten I found to the Cochrane human society on advice from a peace officer who informed me that this was the “good samaritan” thing to do in case the owner was looking for it. I mentioned multiple times while I was there that I wanted to adopt the kitten if no one comes forward and was told by the receptionist that unless someone came forward with ownership papers, we are on file to be the first ones to get a call when he is ready. I offered to keep him in the meantime (filling out all foster and adoption paperwork) but they let me know that wouldn't be possible as he would need to stay in the facility for at least 3 days and us getting approved to foster with the timeline wasn't realistic. They also let me know they wouldn't be able to call with any updates but I could feel free to call and check on him whenever I wanted. Over the course of 4 weeks I called them 1-2 times a week checking in for updates, I spoke with many people in various roles from reception, to adoption, to the intake supervisor. On my first check in, only one day after i dropped him off, i was told he was put in a foster home (the exact thing that i had been told the day before would be impossible), but i was on file as interested in adopting and if i wanted to more info i would need to wait till next wednesday when the intake supervisor was in. when i called the following wednesday the coordinator/supervisor (im not sure what her exact role was called) told me that they weren't sure when he would be neutered/get all his vaccines but i was on file as interested in adopting, and she assured me that unless the owner came forward i would be the first person to adopt him so i could go ahead and purchase all the thing i needed to have a cat. When I called again the following week I was told the same thing by a member of the adoption department and that although they didn't have any kind of timeline, I could rest assured that as soon as he was ready they would give me a call because they definitely had on file that I wanted to adopt him. Finally one week later (now it's been over one month since i dropped him off) they called me to let me know that they were sorry but the foster family had decided to adopt him and although they “understood my disappointment”, “there are lots of other kittens available”. After speaking with Michelle the operation coordinator she let us know this was all due to a “breakdown in communication” and “this has never happened before” but if it was on file, she was also unsure how it happened and she would speak to the employees responsible. It seems like somebody knew somebody and they wanted my cat and figured I wouldn't make a fuss. I was told multiple times that it was on George's file that I wanted to adopt him as soon as he was healthy/cleared by the vets, but somehow it slipped through the cracks when approving the foster family's adoption. Did they not check his file? Not even once? Before giving him away? After I called literally every week for a month and was told repeatedly through multiple departments that I was on file, I find it hard to believe that this was a “miscommunication” . It seemed like everyone communicated perfectly well except somehow he was still given away. How did they even know to call me and apologize after the fact if I hadn't been on file? I'm not really sure what happened but the administration here either hasn't been trained properly or don't really care about protocols, more on getting their buddies the kitten of their dreams regardless of what rules they have to quietly break.

Tejal

We rescued kitten near our home and took care of him for 3 days because humane society was closed for Sunday/Monday. From the advice of Peace officer, we took him to Cochrane humane Society, just to make sure that we are not taking him away from rightful owners, so we were just doing the do diligence before we can legally adopt him. When we were surrendering him, we told many times that we want to adopt him if rightful owners do not come forward. They said they have received call from peace officer for recommendation that we are right family for this kitten when time comes to adopt and they said they have also written down in file so as soon as kitten is ready to be adopted, they will call us first. We offered to foster until ready but they refused due to policy. We called every week for over a month and they were keep on promising that rest assure, as soon as he is ready for adoption, we will call you. They called yesterday just to apologize that kitten has been adopted and we can choose any other if we want.
We could, but that was not the point. We brought our baby to you, trusted you all and you give away our baby and just say SORRY…?
We were able to see on faces of all 4-5 staff members that they knew exactly what happened and why it happened but they all were covering for each other.
Way to go for the organization where this kind of people work. They have no voice to tell the truth.
They literally threatened us to call police on us because we wanted to record our conversation since they were not giving us any legitimate answers other than keep on saying “We can’t do anything “. We actually waited for the officer to show up . He apologized to us because he was also not expecting this kind of behaviour from the humane society staff.
We are not discouraging anyone from going there for adoption or donation because we all are doing it for animals in need. It is not animal’s fault that the staff are not doing their job the way they should or they are not taking this responsibility seriously. Please take as many as you can and donate as much as you can but when time comes to surrender animal, go to bigger shelters so that they will have to follow the rules since many more eyes are watching them and they will have to answer more than just “We can’t do anything “.

KRISTY G.

We found a puppy on their website, submitted an application, and were called within a couple of hours. We got to meet him the next day. Everything went smoothly. We got to hang out with him and talk to the foster family for as long as we needed. We got to sign everything and take him home that day. Great experience.

Katarina B.

Adopted both of my kitties from here. Oliver in 2022, and Stevie this past September. The adoption process is quick and easy, and the fees are super reasonable, especially when both kitties came spayed/neutered, vaxxed, chipped, and tattooed. Staff is super helpful, kind and informative. I recommend CAHS to anyone searching for their new furry friend. Always great to support a local shelter. Forever grateful for my 2 BFFS❤️