2025 Animal Welfare Services Annual Report

Message from the Solicitor General

Animal welfare is an important part of keeping our communities safe, and our government is committed to ensuring animals across Ontario are protected from cruelty, neglect and abuse.

In 2025, Animal Welfare Services responded to record demand across the province. More than 45,000 calls were received by the Ontario Animal Protection Call Centre, inspectors conducted more than 28,000 inspections and investigations, and more than 5,200 animals were removed from situations of distress. These numbers demonstrate both the scale of the need and the important work being done every day to protect animals across Ontario.

Our government has been clear: animal cruelty and neglect will not be tolerated. When animals are in distress, Ontarians expect action. Animal welfare inspectors are there to respond, investigate and, where necessary, use the enforcement tools available to them to protect animals and hold those responsible to account.

This work also depends on strong partnerships. By working alongside police services, municipalities, Indigenous communities, animal welfare organizations, shelters, veterinarians and agricultural and industry partners, we are strengthening Ontario’s animal welfare system and helping ensure animals receive the protection and care they deserve.

Together, we will continue building a strong and responsive animal welfare system that protects animals and maintains the confidence of Ontarians.

Signed in original

Michael S. Kerzner
Solicitor General

Message from the Chief Animal Welfare Inspector

Animal welfare inspectors work every day to protect animals and respond to concerns across Ontario.

In 2025, calls to the Ontario Animal Protection Call Centre increased, inspections reached record levels and inspectors responded to a wide range of situations, from individual cases to complex investigations involving large numbers of animals.

Behind every statistic is a meaningful outcome. Inspectors worked diligently to relieve animal distress, support compliance through clear communication and education and take enforcement action where necessary. Our approach ensures not only immediate intervention, but longer-term improvements through transparency and accountability as well as building public confidence in the system.

Throughout 2025, Animal Welfare Services continued to evolve and innovate to better support this critical work. Enhancements included strengthened coordination on major investigations, expanded outreach and education initiatives and increased transparency through public reporting and enforcement bulletins. These improvements reflect a commitment to continuous learning and modern approaches that enable inspectors to focus on the highest-risk situations while maintaining consistent service across the province.

As demand continues to grow, Animal Welfare Services remains focused on its core purpose: protecting animals, applying the law fairly and consistently and serving the public with openness and integrity.

This report reflects the dedication, professionalism and innovation of Animal Welfare Services inspectors and staff, as well as the meaningful impact their work has across Ontario.

Signed in original

Melanie Milczynski
Chief Animal Welfare Inspector

About Animal Welfare Services

Animal Welfare Services (AWS) enforces Ontario’s animal welfare law, the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019.

Animal welfare inspectors are peace officers authorized to inspect, investigate and take enforcement action where there are concerns about animals in distress or standards of care not being met.

Enforcement tools include:

• education and guidance
• warnings and compliance orders
• relieving distress which includes removing animals, where necessary
• charges under the legislation

AWS has more than 100 inspectors with expertise in companion animals, livestock, equines and exotic species.

The Ontario Animal Protection Call Centre operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It serves as the central intake point for reporting animal welfare concerns across the province.

AWS also conducts proactive inspections of commercial facilities such as zoos, aquariums and pet-related businesses to educate, promote compliance and reduce the risk of animal distress.

Strengthening animal welfare

2025 at a glance

During 2025, AWS took action through:

• 45,239 calls received
• 28,384 inspections and investigations
• 5,251 animals removed from distress
• 737 charges laid

As the demand for inspection and enforcement services continues to grow, AWS is responding at scale across Ontario.

Key facts and figures

These figures demonstrate sustained growth in service demand and AWS’ ability to respond while maintaining lawful and consistent enforcement.

While inspections of zoos and aquariums increased significantly in 2025, companion animals continued to represent the animals involved in most inspections.

Enforcement, inspections and compliance

AWS responded to a wide range of situations across the province, from single-animal concerns to complex investigations involving multiple animals and locations.

When compliance could not be achieved through voluntary measures, inspectors took enforcement action, including removing animals and laying charges. Charges increased from previous years in 2025, reflecting AWS’ continued focus on accountability in cases involving serious or ongoing non-compliance.

A dedicated major investigations management team supported complex investigations across Ontario. The team reviewed 160 warrants and supported more than 130 investigations, helping strengthen coordination, evidence quality and consistency in enforcement practices.

Courts imposed a range of penalties to reinforce that animal cruelty and neglect carry serious consequences in Ontario.

Outcomes included:

• financial penalties
• probation orders
• court-ordered monitoring
• long-term and lifetime prohibitions on owning or caring for animals

AWS also continued to publicly share enforcement outcomes through conviction bulletins, supporting transparency and public awareness.

Appeals through the Animal Care Review Board

Compliance and enforcement actions taken by AWS may be reviewed by the Animal Care Review Board (ACRB), an independent tribunal that provides oversight under Ontario’s animal welfare legislation.

This process provides an important safeguard by ensuring decisions are fair, transparent, and subject to independent oversight.

Decisions of the ACRB are publicly available through the Canadian Legal Information Institute.

Animal Welfare Services achievements

Across Ontario, AWS played a critical role in protecting animals by intervening when risks to animal health and safety could not be addressed through education alone.

AWS inspectors responded to a broad range of situations, applying professional judgment, veterinary expertise, and legislated enforcement authorities to prevent suffering, manage complex circumstances and achieve meaningful, lasting outcomes for animals.

The following examples highlight the scale, complexity, and impact of AWS work throughout the year.

Rescuing an animal in distress

Inspectors responded to a report of a dog living outdoors without adequate care and facing increasing risks to health and safety. When inspectors arrived, the dog was fearful and avoided contact. Through patience, calm and careful handling, the inspectors were able to gain the dog’s trust. They removed the dog to alleviate distress and ensured veterinary assessment. The dog received medical treatment and remained in AWS’ care, allowing time for recovery and socialization. Following intervention, the dog was placed into a permanent adoptive home.

This intervention prevented further deterioration and ensured the animal’s immediate safety and long‑term wellbeing.

Responding to large-scale concerns

Inspectors conducted inspections at two exotic animal locations where serious welfare concerns had been identified. Both resulted in large removals of exotic and other animals to mitigate ongoing risks. One matter progressed to ongoing ACRB proceedings and appeals.

Achieving accountability and positive outcomes

AWS conducted a coordinated multi-day response to safely remove 115 cats and kittens. Inspectors worked closely with veterinarians and animal welfare partners to stabilize conditions, manage animal health risks and carry out a coordinated removal. All animals were transported to shelters for assessment and treatment. Some required extended medical care, including treatment for communicable conditions.

Following a lengthy recovery period, all cats forfeited to AWS and transitioned into shelter adoption programs. Since then, we have received heartwarming updates from adopters about the cats thriving in their new homes, reflecting the long‑term impact of our sustained enforcement, care and rehoming efforts.

Preventing distress through proactive compliance

AWS promoted education and compliance through proactive inspection and enforcement activities. In 2025, the Specialized Compliance Unit conducted 183 inspections of commercial facilities such as zoos, aquariums and pet-related businesses.

Together, these examples demonstrate the essential role AWS plays in Ontario’s animal welfare system. Whether responding to immediate distress, managing complex investigations, preventing harm through proactive compliance or supporting rehabilitation and rehoming, AWS interventions protect animals when other safeguards are insufficient.

This work underscores the importance of a strong, provincewide animal welfare enforcement system, one that promotes responsible care, prevents suffering and supports public confidence in Ontario’s approach to animal welfare.

Supporting animal welfare through partnership and rapid response

AWS worked closely with Dairy Farmers of Ontario and veterinary partners to respond to urgent animal welfare concerns at a licensed dairy farm in Ontario.

AWS inspectors attended the property within 24 hours of receiving the report and took immediate action to address serious concerns related to animal care and living conditions. Orders were issued requiring access to feed, water and bedding, while emergency support was coordinated to stabilize conditions for the herd.

Working collaboratively with industry and veterinary partners, AWS helped ensure animals received immediate care and relief from distress while longer-term solutions were identified with the farm owner.

This reflects the importance of strong partnerships, timely intervention and coordinated action in protecting animal welfare across Ontario.

Partnerships and coordination

Protecting animal welfare across Ontario requires strong collaboration among enforcement agencies, community organizations, emergency responders and industry partners.

Throughout 2025, AWS worked with:

• police services and emergency responders
• municipal by-law officers
• Indigenous communities
• animal welfare organizations and shelters
• agricultural and industry partners

These partnerships strengthened response capacity and supported consistent enforcement across Ontario. This included:

• supporting emergency responses such as wildfire evacuations
• delivering training to more than 2,200 police recruits
• launching a new cross-sector forum called the “Animal Welfare in Ontario Agriculture Discussion Table” to promote a collaborative and constructive dialogue on matters relating to farm animal welfare

Supporting animal rehoming

When animals are removed from situations of distress, AWS works closely with sheltering, rescue and veterinary partners to provide immediate care and support safe, long-term placements.

In 2025, more than 5,200 animals were removed from distress situations and approximately 70 per cent were successfully transferred to new homes.

These partnerships play an important role in supporting animal recovery and rehabilitation, while helping reduce the amount of time animals spend in temporary care. They also help ensure animals can be placed in environments that meet their ongoing behavioural, medical and welfare needs.

Building public trust through awareness and education

Transparency and accountability are central to AWS’ operations.

In 2025, AWS continued to strengthen public confidence in Ontario’s animal welfare system by improving access to information and expanding public communications.

Key activities included:

• maintaining a public process for complaints related to inspector conduct and addressing all 27 complaints received through established process
• issuing 31 bulletins on court decisions resulting in more than $200,000 in fines, along with long-term and lifetime prohibitions on animal ownership, reinforcing transparency and accountability under Ontario’s animal welfare framework
• responding to over 38,000 inquiries and correspondence related to animal welfare concerns
• launching an official social media channel on X in English and French, providing timely updates on responsibilities, reporting options and program activities
• expanding outreach and education efforts, participating in 35 community and industry events and engaging nearly 7,000 participants across the province
• publishing new resources, including guidance on protecting pets during extreme weather, supported prevention, awareness and compliance
• operational enhancements improving service delivery, including streamlined invoicing and faster payments through the Ontario Vendor Portal, reducing administrative work and allowing inspectors to spend more time supporting frontline animal welfare efforts

Collectively, these initiatives advanced AWS’ efforts to improve compliance, enhance transparency and support effective animal welfare outcomes across Ontario.

What’s next

As demand continues to grow across Ontario, AWS remains focused on delivering timely, consistent and effective enforcement that supports positive outcomes for animals and communities.

AWS will continue to strengthen partnerships, expand outreach and education efforts and improve transparency through public reporting. Ongoing modernization initiatives will enhance operational efficiency, support responsive service delivery and enable inspectors to dedicate more time to frontline enforcement and animal protection activities.

As AWS evolves to meet emerging needs, its priority remains clear: protecting animals while maintaining public confidence in Ontario’s animal welfare system.

Contact us

To report an animal in distress or concerns of animal neglect, please contact the Ontario Animal Protection Call Centre at 1-833-9-ANIMAL (26-4625).

For general questions or comments about animal welfare, please contact:

animalwelfareservices@ontario.ca. Please do not submit animal-related complaints or concerns to this email address.

Please follow us on Facebook and X at @ONAnimalWelfare and @BienetreAnimaux.