Sir: I recently went for a self-guided tour of the new animal shelter on Park Avenue East in Chatham, an open house.
Lots of people there, lots of cats, a handful of dogs and a mother dog nursing about six puppies. There was even a guinea pig near the front entrance.
Big and spacious, this shelter had its official ribbon cutting and grand opening several weeks ago.
During the open house, there were draws for pet gift baskets, free dog and cat food samplers, a BBQ and face painting and balloon-making for the children that came. Almost anyone who made a major donation was listed for their contributions.
The new shelter is called PAW– Pet Animal Wildlife, the group appointed by municipal council to run the facility.
The facility also has a medical room and a big area for administrative work. There is a bath station for the animals, and there are separate areas to separate the feral cats from the domesticated cats.
The open house ran from noon to 4 p.m. on June 8.
The original shelter is right in front of the new one. The older building is supposed to be torn down in order to accommodate more parking for the new shelter.
Having once having had a tour of the former shelter, I found this one is a multiple big improvement over the old one.
The staff and the animals are probably equally happy to be there!
Frank Doyle
Chatham
