A recent theft may have been a blessing in disguise for Chatham-Kent's Pet and Wildlife Rescue (PAWR).
A break-in last week saw almost all of the animal control group's supplies and food stolen, just days before they were set to move into the old OSPCA shelter. But, as Operations Manager Myriam Armstrong explains, they quickly bounced back.
"The food was never recovered, luckily the community has been incredible this weekend," says Armstrong. "We received a lot of food, I believe we have more than what we started with. We [also] received a lot of other supplies we didn't have yet, so we're really impressed with the response from the community."
Now PAWR has moved in and officially started its animal control duties for Chatham and the Tilbury area. Armstrong adds they've updated the centre's main building, and are installing cat cages.
"We still have to move some of the equipment, some of our internet services won't come for a couple days. So we're almost fully operational. We're scrambling everywhere we can to make sure everyone gets a reply right away," says Armstrong.
One person faces charges in connection to last week's theft.
In October, Chatham-Kent Council chose to offer the animal control contract to PAWR, after the OSPCA made no attempt to renew its contract with the municipality.
