press release from P.A.W.S. of Dearborn County

The building on Charles A. Liddle Drive in Lawrenceburg undergoing renovations to become PAWS of Dearborn County's new animal shelter this coming spring. provided

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The Partners for Animal Welfare Society of Dearborn County, Inc. has awarded a contract for interior construction of the new P.A.W.S. of Dearborn County Humane Center to Maxwell Construction.

Based in Greendale, Maxwell Construction has been a leader in the shaping of many Southeast Indiana commercial and industrial properties since 1988.

Interior construction has begun, and P.A.W.S. plans to open and begin operation of the new animal center in late spring, 2011. The facility is located on an 8-acre site in Lawrenceburg on Charles A. Liddle Drive, adjacent to the Ivy Tech Community College lakefront campus.

Having successfully spearheaded a $1.8 million campaign to build a new animal shelter for Dearborn County, P.A.W.S originally planned to build it from ground up, according to plans created by architect Darrell Sears. However, when a perfect location -- an 8-acre site with an existing building and wooded trails ideal for dog-walking -- became available, P.A.W.S. leaders decided to purchase this “perfect package.”

The most crucial piece of the new center is the interior space, and architect Sears has meticulously adapted his original plans to fit into the building’s layout, also preserving all naming rights that were a part of the fund-raising process. The money raised by the New Shelter Campaign will cover the cost of the site and conversion.

Under an agreement with Dearborn County officials, P.A.W.S. will assume responsibility for animal care for the county, while the county will maintain responsibility for animal control. The new center will include space for county animal control officers.

P.A.W.S. has asked the county for an annual budget commitment to help cover the costs of the responsibilities that P.A.W.S. will assume from the county, and Dearborn County officials have agreed. The amount has not yet been finalized, but P.A.W.S. will nonetheless need to raise about twice as much annually as it has in the past.

“The new P.A.W.S. of Dearborn County Humane Center will be much more than an animal shelter for homeless animals,” said P.A.W.S. president Sandy Carley. “It will be a valuable resource and ‘go to’ place in our community for animal welfare education, animal care and training, and teaching the importance of spay/neuter.”

The Partners for Animal Welfare Society of Dearborn County, Inc., (P.A.W.S.) is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of unwanted and abandoned animals in Dearborn County, Indiana.

Since its founding in 2001, P.A.W.S. has helped more than 9,000 dogs and cats at a cost of about $400,000. For years, through donations, fundraisers and with the help of local grants, P.A.W.S. has completely paid for the spay/neuter program at the county animal shelter, for a companion animal voucher program, and for much of the medical care of shelter animals.. In addition to fund-raising and foster-care of abandoned animals, P.A.W.S. volunteers stage frequent mobile adoption events to place animals in loving homes.

For more information about P.A.W.S., including ways to volunteer and donate, go to the organization’s website: www.pawsofdearborncounty.org.