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1887-1919
The Founding Years
In the spring of 1887, a small group of concerned Hamiltonians gathered first in a doctor’s office and then in City Hall, convinced that their rapidly growing industrial city needed a dedicated voice for its animals. From those early meetings, the Hamilton SPCA was born, guided for decades by its remarkable founding president, Adam Brown, who led the Society well into his nineties with quiet determination. In an era when horses powered streetcars, delivery wagons, and the Post Office, the young organization focused on easing the burdens of working animals—pressing for humane treatment and establishing public water troughs so animals could be refreshed as they moved through the city.
At the same time, early inspectors responded to cruelty cases, challenged brutal “sports” like cockfighting and dogfighting, and visited schools to teach children that kindness to animals was a civic virtue. As the SPCA’s presence grew, Hamiltonians came to see it as the natural place to turn whenever animals were in need. That trust, combined with tireless advocacy from Hamilton and other Ontario SPCAs, helped bring about the province’s first animal welfare law in 1919—an achievement that cemented the Society’s role in shaping a more compassionate future for animals in Ontario.
