Birthday parties at GHS
Looking for a memorable celebration for a child who loves animals? Birthday parties at the Guelph Humane Society (GHS) combine animal learning, creativity and time to celebrate with friends.
Celebrate With Animals, Creativity and Compassion
Bring their love of animals to the party! Celebrate with two hours of animal-themed fun, creativity, and compassion, led by a GHS Birthday Party Facilitator.
Designed for children ages 5 to 11, with animal-themed activities tailored to the birthday child’s age.
Make Saturday a celebration!
Party times: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Book a Birthday Party
Available dates are shown in the booking calendar at the button below and are generally added four to five months in advance. The calendar shows our current availability. If your preferred date does not appear, you are welcome to contact us about other possibilities for alternative dates.
What Your Party Includes
Each two-hour party is led by a GHS Birthday Party Facilitator and includes:
- A welcome and animal-themed presentation
- An animal-themed craft
- A tour of GHS and supervised animal interaction
- Time for food, cake, presents and celebrating
GHS provides a private party room, decorations, reusable plates and cutlery, room setup and cleanup.
You are welcome to arrive up to 15 minutes early if you would like to add your own decorations. Because other programs may be taking place, the room may not be ready before then. Please enter through the GHS Main Entrance when you arrive.
To help the celebration run smoothly, we ask that the adult who booked the party remain onsite throughout the event.
You can select one craft for the group when booking:
- Clay animal and adoption certificate
- Pet bookmark
- Pet finger puppets
- Pom-pom dog keychain
- Cat headband
Meeting an animal is a special part of every GHS birthday party, and the comfort and well-being of the animals in our care always come first.
When booking, you can tell us which animals your child would most like to meet. We will do our best to accommodate one of your choices, although we cannot promise a particular animal or species.
The interaction will depend on the animals in our care and how they are feeling on the day of the party. Our team will choose an appropriate interaction that creates a safe and positive experience for both the animal and your guests.
You are welcome to bring food, cake and beverages or arrange to have food delivered.
To keep the animals safe and comfortable, please keep food covered or unopened until the animal interaction has finished. The adult who booked the party will lead the food, cake and present portion of the celebration.
If you are having food delivered, we recommend arranging for it to arrive during the final 45 minutes of the party, after the tour and animal interaction.
Please be aware that GHS is not a nut-free facility. We encourage you to consider the allergies and dietary needs of all your guests when planning the celebration.
Birthday Invitations
Download and print an invitation for your guests:
Have Questions?
Our Programs team is happy to help with birthday-party inquiries or questions about celebrations for other age groups.
Email programs@guelphhumane.ca
Frequently asked questions
The booking calendar shows all dates that are currently available. You may email programs@guelphhumane.ca to ask about other possibilities, but additional dates cannot be guaranteed.
You can share your preferences when booking, and we will do our best to accommodate one of them. The final choice will depend on the animals in our care and their comfort on the day of the party.
Parents and guardians are welcome to stay as long as the total number of people attending does not exceed 15. This includes children and accompanying adults.
To give every child an opportunity to participate and keep the animal interaction comfortable and manageable, parties are limited to 10 children, including the birthday child.
We understand that plans can change.
If you need to reschedule, please contact us more than 48 hours before your party. We will work with you to find another available date.
If you cancel and notify us before the party, your refund will be reduced by the non-refundable 15 per cent transaction fee. Refunds are not available for no shows or when no cancellation notice is provided.
To cancel or request a new date, email programs@guelphhumane.ca.