Officials at the Pet and Wildlife Rescue (PAWR) in Chatham-Kent are in shock.
PAWR Operations Manager Myriam Armstrong says their plans to move into the CK Animal Shelter on Park Ave. E this weekend suffered a major setback when someone broke into a garage at one of their volunteers’ homes.
“At three or four o’clock this morning, someone broke into the garage and removed only the animal supplies that we have stored in there,” says Armstrong. “All of our cat food and dog food [was taken] — and we had a substantial amount saved up… pretty much anything we can use at the shelter is gone.”
Armstrong says police are investigating, but a dog in the neighbourhood may have given them an important tip.
"A neighbour said that their dog was barking around three or four in the morning and was going crazy in her house," says Armstrong.
Some of the other supplies that were stolen include: cat litter boxes, pet crates, and towels.
Fortunately for the group, the community is rallying around them to help them recover from the theft.
“We had two mini-fridges saved up for the shelter and we already have people donating those back,” says Armstrong. “Even our vet office is helping with donations.”
Anyone who wants to help them out can go to pawr.org or head to the CK animal shelter over the weekend.
The shelter at 405 Park Ave. E will be opening at 8am on Saturday.