It’s a new chapter at the Hancock County Animal Shelter.

Following a contract signing Friday morning, operations at the shelter located near New Manchester will now be overseen by the Ohio-based non-profit Jefferson County Humane Society, which also oversees the Jefferson County Animal Shelter in Wintersville.

There will be some changes as part of the transition.

Humane Society managers will be working with existing animal shelter staff to review their operations, see what works and what improvements can be made, sharing ideas, and making upgrades to the shelter itself including installation of a dedicated medical room.

Overall, though, the mission will remain – the care for the animals of Hancock County who are searching for their forever homes.

This isn’t the first time a non-profit has operated Hancock County’s animal shelter. It previously was managed by the Hancock County Animal Shelter Foundation for 19 years, with a group of dedicated volunteer residents providing care for the animals until 2016 when the group and county commissioners came to an impasse when negotiating terms on a contract renewal.

The Hancock County Commission will still provide tax dollars to be put toward operations of the shelter, and have discussed the possibility of putting a new animal shelter levy on the ballot for county voters to consider next year.

Having the non-profit entity on hand, though, will provide other opportunities for fundraising, which can only provide more benefits for the animals.

We know there has been much made about the way the shelter has been run over the last year, with staffing coming and going, criticisms of public officials, and accusations spread across social media.

We hope, though, that as we turn the page, everyone involved will be mindful of the need to put that in the past and focus on what matters – the welfare of the county’s homeless animals and the effort to find them a safe and permanent place of love.