"Right now, I am working on the ‘PAWS 12,’" said Gilleran, a Montclair resident and PAWS advocate, referring to the remaining group of nameless animals at the shelter.

As of Tuesday, a handful of dogs remained, two of them with special needs.

Four of the remaining dogs are impound cases – dogs that are involved in pending court cases – that the township is placing in a shelter and in foster homes.

There were 16 cats – would have been 17 if Gilleran hadn’t adopted a marmalade-shaded tabby last week.

"We couldn’t let PAWS go down without trying to help, and not taking at least one," Gilleran said.

"It’s a travesty," she added, referring to the closing of PAWS, which yesterday vacated its North Willow Street low-kill facility due to dwindling finances. The facility will now be managed by the municipal government.

"There will not be one animal left at the PAWS shelter," she said.

Earlier this week, PAWS volunteers – nearly 50 altogether – were busy getting the remaining animals adopted and clearing out the cages.

Many volunteers are taking animals home with them, while remaining cats will be placed in sanctuaries, and the remaining dogs in shelters or foster care, said PAWS Board of Directors President Carole Michales. PAWS had about a 95 percent adoption rate, Michales said.

People routinely dump animals at PAWS’ door, Gilleran said.

"This is terribly sad," she said. "Who loses in this whole thing? The animals.

"I’m sure that PAWS will rise again. From the dedication of the volunteers, you know that they will be coming back."

New Jersey law requires the impoundment of any dog, cat or other animal off of the property of the owner. Stray animals must be held for 7 days. Shelters then have the option to euthanize.

Two weeks ago, when Gilleran posted a list of felines available for adoption on the Watercooler online community forum, those six cats had been at PAWS two years or more.

But now PAWS can no longer afford to run the shelter.

"The animals keep coming in, and we are out of money," Michales said.

Donations had been spiraling downward, and the economic crisis hasn’t helped. But PAWS’ biggest hurdle was accommodating an influx of animals that soared after Montclair’s decision to provide animal control for Glen Ridge and Nutley, Michales said.

Every year for several years now, it was costing a half-million dollars to operate the shelter, which included coverage of veterinarian bills, insurance and overhead of the facility, according to Michales.

Until 2006, when the township hired an animal control officer, PAWS had managed Montclair’s animal control for about $54,000 a year, she said.

"When they stopped paying for animal control, they were giving us zero," Michales said.

"At that point, we asked the township to provide us with sheltering fees. They came to an agreement, but we would have no say in the disposition in the animals," she said.

"They didn’t give us a plan."

Michales added that municipal officials "accused" PAWS of taking in animals from outside the Montclair area.

"When animals arrived at our doorstep, we took them in. And they’re going to find themselves in the same position," she said.

PAWS intends to find another location.

"We plan to reopen," Michales said. "We’re not giving up."

In September, the state Office of Animal Welfare gave PAWS a less-than-satisfactory inspection after officials found deficiencies, including no separate room for sick animals, a rotting sink in one of the kennels and cracked and broken windows and ceiling tiles.

Michales said that overcrowding contributed to the problem, and most of the violations were administrative or the responsibility of the township.

When asked whether the Township Council is in agreement with the PAWS situation, 2nd Ward Councilman Cary Africk said, "I find it a very complex situation. I’ve tried to understand it."

Africk added, referring to Township Manager Joseph Hartnett, "The manager says he can deliver the same or better services for considerably less money, so we have to look at that."

Montclair has finalized an agreement with Verona to handle that township’s animal control beginning Jan. 1, according to Hartnett.

"We do expect to have a couple of other towns join us, and that will offset most, if not all, of the additional costs of operating the shelter," Hartnett said.

While a plan for the facility has not yet been finalized, a cleanup of the PAWS shelter will take place during the next month or two, he said. "We will be cleaning up the facility and turning it into what we hope will be a first-class animal shelter," Hartnett said.

Outside companies may be hired to assist in the cleanup, Hartnett said, and the task may include the ductwork for an area for quarantined animals that is required to have separate air handling to prevent the spread of disease.

"The town is going to set up a shelter that should be set up – a facility that is clean and safe and healthy for the animals," he said.

When asked what would be done with animals that may arrive on the facility’s doorstep during the next month, Hartnett declined to comment, but said, "We will have arrangements to take care of any Montclair animals that need to be taken care of."

The entire animal-control program in Montclair will be revamped, Hartnett said, and a new one will introduce a series of public educational, neutering and spaying and licensing programs.

"It has deteriorated over the years, the way it was being handled," he said of the privately run animal-control operation.

"It’s a problem all over, it’s not just a problem in Montclair."

Contact Tanya Drobness at drobness@montclairtimes.com.