Toronto animal rescue & rehabilitation

Every animal deserves a second chance at a good life.

Happy Paws rescues injured, orphaned and abandoned animals, restores their health with veterinary-led rehabilitation, and guides each one safely home — back to the wild, or into a loving family.

Donate today Our story
Registered Canadian non-profit Veterinary-led care Transparent annual reporting
Illustration of a red fox inside a sunrise over the Toronto skyline, circled by orbit lines representing global reach
87%of rehabilitated wildlife successfully released
1,240+animals given a new beginning
1,240+
Animals rescued since our founding
▲ 38% year over year
87%
Wildlife release success rate
Above provincial avg.
640
Active volunteers across the GTA
▲ 120 this year
42
Clinics, shelters & corporate partners
In 3 countries

Figures reflect programme activity to date and are updated every year in our public impact report.

Our mission

Rescue with urgency. Heal with expertise. Release with care.

We exist to close the gap between an animal in crisis and a life worth living. Every rescue follows a rigorous, science-based pathway designed around one outcome: a healthy animal, in the right home, for good.

Rescue

A 24/7 response network of trained volunteers and partner clinics reaches injured, orphaned and abandoned animals across the Greater Toronto Area — fast.

Rehabilitate

Veterinary treatment, nutrition, physiotherapy and behavioural enrichment — tailored to each species and each animal's story — to restore full quality of life.

Rehome or release

Wildlife returns to suitable habitat when it can thrive on its own. Companion animals are carefully matched with screened adoptive and foster families.

The journey of care

A proven pathway from crisis to a forever home

Each animal moves through five clinical stages. Here is how the animals that entered our care last year progressed.

  1. Stage 1

    Rescue & intake

    Emergency response, safe transport and secure intake.

    Animals100%
  2. Stage 2

    Triage & diagnosis

    Full veterinary assessment within hours of arrival.

    Progressed96%
  3. Stage 3

    Treatment & recovery

    Surgery, medicine, nutrition and around-the-clock monitoring.

    Progressed91%
  4. Stage 4

    Conditioning

    Flight cages, foraging skills, socialisation and trust-building.

    Progressed89%
  5. Stage 5

    Release or adoption

    Habitat release, or a screened match with a loving family.

    Placed87%

Share of animals admitted that reached each stage. Animals that cannot be released are placed in accredited sanctuaries or lifetime care.

Illustration of the Toronto skyline over Lake Ontario with a planned Happy Paws rehabilitation campus and wildlife corridors

Vision 2030 · Toronto

A city where no animal in need is left behind

By 2030 we will make Toronto a model for humane, science-led animal care in North America — with a purpose-built rehabilitation campus, city-wide rapid response, and green corridors that let urban wildlife thrive alongside 3 million people.

Rehabilitation campus$3.4M of $8M raised · 42%
Wards with 1-hour rapid response15 of 25 wards · 60%
Trained foster homes310 of 1,000 · 31%
School humane-education programmes58 of 100 schools · 58%

From Toronto to the world

Built in Toronto. Designed to scale globally.

Our care protocols, volunteer training and data platform are built to be shared. We're growing a network of partner rescues that use the Happy Paws model to save more animals, everywhere.

  1. Now

    Greater Toronto Area

    Rescue hotline, partner clinics, foster network and wildlife release programme.

  2. 2027

    Ontario-wide network

    Satellite intake centres in Ottawa, Hamilton and Northern Ontario.

  3. 2029

    Across Canada

    Open-source care protocols and training licensed to rescues coast to coast.

  4. 2032

    Global partnerships

    Knowledge exchange and emergency response with partner organisations on four continents.

Stylized globe with Toronto as the hub, linked by arcs to partner regions around the world

Radical transparency

Where every dollar goes

83 cents of every dollar you give goes directly to frontline animal care and programmes. Our books are audited independently every year.

How each donated dollar is spent

Share of total expenses, most recent fiscal year

  • Rescue & medical care 58%
  • Rehabilitation & rehoming 25%
  • Education & community 9%
  • Fundraising & admin 8%

Get involved

Three ways to change an animal's story

Whether you give, show up, or bring your company along, your support turns a rescue into a recovery.

Most impact

Donate

Monthly gifts give us the steady funding to plan surgeries, staff the hotline and say "yes" to every call.

  • $25 feeds a recovering animal for a week
  • $75 funds a full veterinary assessment
  • $250 sponsors a wildlife release
Give monthly

Volunteer & foster

Join 640+ neighbours as a rescue driver, animal-care assistant, event lead — or open your home as a foster.

  • Flexible shifts across the GTA
  • Full training and ongoing mentorship
  • Foster supplies and vet costs covered
Become a volunteer

Corporate partnerships

Align your brand with measurable, local-to-global impact through sponsorships, matching gifts and team volunteering.

  • Named campus and programme sponsorships
  • Employee giving & volunteer days
  • ESG-ready impact reporting
Partner with us

Found an animal in distress?

Keep a safe distance, note the location, and reach our rescue team. If it's a life-threatening emergency, call us right away.

Call (416) 555-0142 Send a message