Animal and wildlife control will have a new look in Chatham and Tilbury starting this week.
Pet and Wildlife Rescue (PAWR) is set to take over from the OSPCA on Friday.
That's an exciting prospect for PAWR operations manager Myriam Armstrong and her team.
"We've been working really, really hard to achieve this," says Armstrong. "It was a great relief to finally put all of our plans into action and to see some fresh change for Chatham-Kent."
Armstrong says the group is ready to move into the animal shelter on Park Ave. in Chatham as soon as its contract comes into effect.
"Right now we're operating out of our homes, so now we'll have a central location at the shelter, which will simplify a lot of our operations," says Armstrong. "[The building] does need a little bit of renovations for sure and a good cleanup, but we're ready for it."
Armstrong says one of the things that sets their group apart from other animal control operations is their focus on fostering.
"Any animal that is suitable for a foster home will go to a foster home if one is available," says Armstrong, adding they're also pushing for more community involvement. "We just like to include the community in everything we do -- so that at any corner if we need something we'll reach out to the community so that everybody has a part in it."
Chatham-Kent council voted to hand over the animal control operations in Chatham and Tilbury to PAWR in October after the OSPCA announced it would not be renewing its contract with the municipality.
