PAWS In Transition

Montclair will be providing animal control to Verona, not the other way around...

I remember when PAWS was first formed in 1976...In the opposite of what is happening here, the Montclair Animal Shelter became PAWS. This is the end of an era..very sad...

I'm confused. PAWS (Pound Animal Welfare Society) was the volunteer group which built the shelter, yes? PAWS the group is still in existence though not sure it can reopen it's own shelter, yes? Montclair took over the animal shelter building and will house animals there I thought, as a municipal shelter.

Verona is handling Montclair Animal Control? Montclair's ACO's will be paid then to do what? Verona has it's own shelter? If not, where will stray animals go?

A little more info, please.

No, Karen, Montclair's animal control officers will be providing animal control services to Verona. PAWS had been servicing Verona until it left the facility on 12/31.

Does outrage fatigue ever set in Karen? Or is it a perpetual state?

Pardon the expression, but aren't you beating a dead horse?

Sorry, RoC. I didn't realize that asking for more information constituted "outrage". Do you have a job or do you just sit in wait for posts to complain about?

Nellie, thanks for the info. This quote is what confused me: Manager Joe Hartnett, in a Dec. 30 statement on the town's website, said Montclair's animal control services will be provided by Verona for the time being.

I also read the statement on the town's website so I know animals will go to other towns. I'm just wondering where that might be.

Oh, PS to RoC: You'll know when I'm outraged and no, fatigue never sets in especially where animals are concerned.

Karen, just for further clarification, this is how the latest statement is worded on the town website.

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The Township also signed an agreement with the Township of Verona to provide animal control services to that community beginning January 1, in addition to continuing providing services to Nutley and Glen Ridge.
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BTW, PAWS is still in existence. There is going to be a PAWS Cat Adoption Day at Petco in Verona on January 24th.

Is it just my computer, or is all of the font on this site suddenly in strikethrough?

I'm still waiting to hear how the shelter is going to be run. Will it euthanize after 7 days? I thought the town was going to publish that.

*ALL* of Hartnett's statement should be strikethrough.

When asked which shelters Montclair will be sending animals to he declined to answer.

When asked what the Hartnett memorial Shelter's policy on euthanasia will be he declined to answer.

When asked about the budget for the HMShelter in Montclair, he refused to answer and said that there was no financial plan yet.

So, PAWS was evicted from the building and the town had no plans whatsoever!!!!

I'll be surprised if the HMShelter in Montclair actually reopens.

If the township is so keen on taking care of Montclair's homeless animals it should be paying the foster families for their care. Those animals are still not adopted, only in a temporary safe haven.

I cannot wait to visit this "first class animal shelter". And to think it will take them only two months to get it operational!

What I want to know is why the town didn't have all that money to put into the building when PAWS was there?

Sorry if I missed it as I have not been following this closely, but is the situation this:
1. PAWS is moving out of the shelter on Walnut street.
2. The Town is going to run its own animal shelter in the same location?

Yep. That's the situation.

why is the town paying money to run its own shelter instead of having a private company do it for them and pay rent in a commercial building?

Overtaxed, Hardy Har and Bike Boy will need to answer that one...

Nevermind, I just read more about it. Sounded like PAWS elected out. If that is the case then I guess the town has no choice but to run it's own shelter, or pay another town to do it for them? Personally I'd rather see another town do it and use that space for something else that is more in line with what the rest of Walnut street is becoming...a couple bakeries, bar, restaurant, etc... Or, even make it a couple of nice condos to support what Walnut street is becoming.

I just read Hardy Har's euthanasia policy on the watercooler; cats with FIV and FeLV are going to be considered for euthanasia under the new regime. I own an FiV+ cat; she has been with me for 3 and a half years and is not showing any symptoms at all..These cats can live a long time in the right environment...PAWS has adopted out many of these cats and most are doung absolutely fine years later. Very sad....

Here is the new euthanasia poliy...I hate for the words budget and euthanasia to show up in the same article.
--------------------------

Euthanasia is an unfortunate but sometimes necessary part of animal sheltering.

Dogs that are medically declared incurable or injured and suffering
shall be euthanized upon the medical opinion of a veterinarian appointed by the Township to render such professional judgments. Dogs
that are aggressive or repeat biters and are considered dangerous to
other animals or people may be examined by a eterinarian to rule out any medical reason for the aggression.
All circumstances surrounding bite incidences shall then be considered
as there are many reasons a dog may bite other than a natural aggression, i.e., an injured animal will "fear bite"; a dog may istinctively nip or bite if mistreated. Assessments of food aggression, strong prey instincts and fear biting will be referred to
a dog trainer for rehabilitation. If, after a reasonable training
period, the animal is determined to remain too dangerous to be
adopted, the animal will be euthanized.

Felines that are diagnosed with terminal illness such as FIV (feline
aids), feline leukemia or other illnesses where there is no cure, and
are suffering, will be considered for euthanasia. These conditions are
highly contagious and secondary infections are most common causing
further suffering. The symptoms include upper respiratory infections,
runny eyes, loss of appetite, stiff and painful joints and finally the
inability to stand up. In such cases, antibiotics are only effective
for a limited amount of time as the immune deficiency becomes
accustomed to the medications. In such cases it is more humane to
prevent suffering of an unadoptable animal rather than having it live
out its remaining days in a shelter cage being medicated and force
fed, only to suffer and ultimately die. Additionally, from a practical
perspective, caring for a terminally sick animal creates an enormous
financial strain on the shelter budget, space, staff morale and time,
and can thus be the direct cause of undesirable and inhumane
conditions for other animals in need of shelter and care.

overtaxed,

PAWS opted out after being told that they would have to accept yet another 2 towns orphan animals with no reimbursement for sheltering them. They were told that if they accepted money from Montclair that they would have to conform to Montclair's new euthanasia policy.

Of course you know that Montclair stopped paying PAWS for animal control in 2006 and didn't pay a thin dime for the support of the shelter animals. It all came out of PAWS pockets- donations and volunteers were what they were operating on.

Montclair also didn't bother to do the maintenance on the building as they had contracted to. I've heard that the roof leaked for the entire time that PAWS ran the shelter.

Now Hartnett has decided to contract out most of the services that PAWS performed. He's even got an outside company coming in to clean cat boxes and pick up dog poop. That's major $$$. And he's also got several ACOs with salary. pension, and vehicles for each.

PAWS said that it cost them $500,000 to run the shelter. At this rate it will cost Montclair at least double.

I think that Hartnett should forgo his salary for the next couple of years to pay for this.

"Additionally, from a practical
perspective, caring for a terminally sick animal creates an enormous
financial strain on the shelter budget, space, staff morale and time,
and can thus be the direct cause of undesirable and inhumane
conditions for other animals in need of shelter and care."

Funny, PAWS had no problem caring for sick animals. And after all, aren't we all *TERMINAL* in the end.

Where is the budget? That's what it's all about. Kill them before it costs us any money.

I guess that's the NEW MONTCLAIR WAY!!

Paws did not opt out. They were forced out by a 6 year erosion by inches via starvation of funds, non maintenance of the town owned building, and insistence that they not control the fate of the animals.

Finally Hartnett got his way, they will kill sick animals because keeping them alive under humane conditions will be too expensive. Of course it will not be too expensive to have town employess with all their costs(salary, health, pensions etc.) LNG retrofitted green vehicles, and who knows what else, run what used to cost 55k per yr altho PAWS' request to raise it to 100k was the excuse that Hartnett used to start his campaign. He will probably obfuscate the cost forever.

I wouldn't even consider taking a stray to Montclair's shelter. Cats that are FIV+ can live long lives and be wonderful pets. I have a friend who has 3 of them. They just have to be kept inside and given a slightly higher level of veterinary care. For whatever reason, Hartnett was on a mission to get rid of PAWS and sadly for the animals has succeeded.

I too wonder if all ROC does all day is write posts to this site. I find his comments tedious and condiscending, but I suppose he considers himself more intelligent than most of the rest of us.

I guess killing animals will help with staff morale and take less time than caring for them.

PAWS was right to take *ALL* of the animals with them.

He probably spells better too. Make that 'condescending'

My mom used to say that there's a lid for every pot. She was referring to human relationships, of course, but you can also take this to mean human-animal relationships. Not everyone wants the "perfect" puppy or kitten. Some people, like my DH and I, like older dogs and don't mind if said dog has some age-related health issues. Other people are willing to work with "incorrigible" animals that no one else wants. So for Hardy Har and others to classify certain animals as "unwanted" is just a cop-out. Most animal lovers would rather adopt a less-than-perfect animal than see it put to death.

Obviously, there are extenuating circumstances, if an animal is in terrible pain and there is no cure or treatment for what ails them. But just talk to people who've adopted animals and you will see a wide range of pets.

Overtaxed - you hit the nail on the head...my opinion is that mtc. wants the property and that's why it isn't updating the shelter. Once there is another shelter (such as Wayne) that mtc. could outsource all the services and sell the property for big bucks.

Mrs. Martta - for once you and I agree. Not everyone wants the perfect pet.

Message forwarded from Sandy Reynolds of HumaneMontclair:

As you probably know, PAWS has left its North Willow Street location in Montclair, and
the Township is taking over the building as well as the responsibility for sheltering animals.
Until the building is renovated, there is an immediate need for temporary foster homes for
cats and dogs.

If you can help in this, please contact the Montclair ACO, Melissa
Neiss, at her office number: 973-509-6978 or by email at
mneiss@montclairnjusa.org

Whatever your position on this turn of events in Montclair, there are
animals to be cared for and if everyone does what they can to help,
we can continue to make Montclair a safe place for animals.

Thank you,

Sandy

P.S. If you have any questions about the new shelter, new polices,
etc, please contact Melissa. She will be happy to fill you in and to
sign you up for volunteering at the new facility. There is also a
search on for the donation of a gently used sofa and side table.
PLUS.... any mural painters out there??? Let Melissa know.

---

Who will make Montclair a safe place for FIV anf FELV cats and for elderly and/or infirm cats and dogs who "creates an enormous
financial strain on the shelter budget, space, staff morale and time,
and can thus be the direct cause of undesirable and inhumane
conditions for other animals in need of shelter and care."

Why are they looking for a sofa and side table? Is there going to be a lounge for the ACOs?

Gently used furniture and mural painters. Nice.

"Funny, PAWS had no problem caring for sick animals. "

PAWS went out of business because it was running up defecits into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sounds like they did have a problem caring for sick animals - they couldn't afford it.

FIV+ cats may lead long lives, but are they likely candidates for adoption? If you all agree to adopt each and every one, I'm sure Montclair will keep them alive longer.

Let me enlighted all of you!

PAWS should have been closed the very weekend it opened many moons ago! That place smelled of piss and shit from day one and though they had an army of people working there, the placed was a f* mess! I guess no one liked to clean! Lazy bastards!

Bye Bye Paws!!!!

Well, now that the die has been cast, it was said earlier, and I agree, that the focus now has to be on the welfare of whatever animal comes into the new facility.

Laura L, I generlly agree with your posts but that last one was unnecessary, mean-spirited and, unless you were at that shelter every damn day since it opened to say differently, uncalled for and untrue. I visited PAWS many times and was always impressed with the set up, especially considering it's location and building configuration. I'd say if you didn't like the situation and cared enough to remember the conditions over 30 years then why didn't you volunteer to help, but I already know the answer to that one. It's the same one I've seen posted here whenever the question arises: people in Montclair just don't have the time to volunteer.

I also can generally spell.

Is the Loonie from Montclair? She spends a great deal of time at Bottle King in Glen Ridge.

Loonie,

Your post above shows your mean spiritedness and lack of smell. That wasn't the PAWS animals you smelled - it was the leaking roof that Montclair refued to repair.

PAWS did and continues to do a great job.

I wonder at the Barista's continuing to call the building at 77 North Williow PAWS. It is now the Montclair Animal Shelter (maybe the Hartnett Memorial Animal Shelter) and is not PAWS anymore.

PAWS has retained their name and continues to adopt out animals.

Humorlessness and sanctimoniousness have a high degree of correlation.

Why are they looking for a sofa and side table?
------------------

So hardy har can take an afternoon siesta every day...He'll be on the couch snoring when people come into adopt.

into+in to

Nick, people do adopt the FIV+ and FeLV+ cats..PAWS adopted out three FIV+ and three FeLV+ over the last few months. And I have an FIV+ cat that I adopted in 2005.

Humorlessness and sanctimoniousness have a high degree of correlation.

You should know ROC.

"No Cats were left in the bulding" Duh- what do they think PAWS is stupid?? They deemed some of PAWS most adoptable animals unadoptable and under their policy they would have been put to sleep. Ask the owner of PAWS fiv + cat Elliston if they thought he should be put down. Or Randy and Meeko, PAWS felv cats that finally found a loving home together and have been going strong for almost 3 yesrs without so much as a cold.

I have an FIV + cat, I can not imagaine my life without him.

Funny there was no mention of what they will do with feral cats, I guess we already know the answer to that one.

I know the joy I had of seeing a feral cat come around and be around, but no one at the new pound will be lucky enough to see that.

I have no idea how those people sleep at night.

Cuddles, I've known a couple of really, truly bad people in my lifetime, and sad to say, I don't believe they ever had trouble sleeping.

I have no idea how those people sleep at night.

Very easily when you have no conscience or compassion.

Actually Cuddles, on reflection, and seeing Gadfly's post....I think good people suffer from sleeplessness more than bad people do.

I have a "feral" from PAWS...took awhile but she is a great cat. She was just scared and not used to being around people. She now is enjoying a great life with 3 other cats, 2 dogs and 2 people. Sad to think that she wouldn't have had the chance to live if she came into the shelter now. Many cats are just plain scared when they are dropped/dumped and then thrown in a cage after roaming the streets most of their lives. What a joy it is that I have this "feral" cat sleeping on the sofa.

Actually, I just got off the couch myself....where my "feral" cat is now napping. I got her from PAWS in 2006, and it took her awhile. She reached out an touched me on the hand when I first saw her......and was so frightened the day I took her home, she sat in her own urine and refused to leave the box. She's great...but I don't guess she'd be okay there today.

Hey, JimmyP, do you remmeber what the cat's name was at PAWS? I probably knew her there.

Sure Nellie, she was a tiger striped, bout 4 yrs old, named Cupcake. First cage on the left when I walked in...rsvp

Sure Nellie, she was a tiger striped, bout 4 yrs old, named Cupcake. First cage on the left when I walked in...rsvp

Actually Nellie, looking at the papers now....she'd been surrendered there by someone in S Kingsley St in W Orange on 4/8/06. A woman named Kristina at PAWS helped me, and I took the cat 7/12/06.

Oh, I remember Cupcake. She had been adopted, we received follow-up pics, the people loved her, and then. BOOM, she was returned. She was very frightened when she came back. Thank you for giving her another chance...

Hey, she's the best.....really spoiled, and trust me, she's not going anyplace. She likes it in The Siena.

Jimmy, I was so happy when I heard she had been adopted again. It warms my heart to know she's thriving.

So sad, but I'm glad she found a second home with Jimmy.

We've had Kelly for almost 2 months now and her coat has gone from dull and dry to a beautiful shade of chocolate brown that is ever-so-soft to the touch. Just needed a good diet, a lot of grooming, and some TLC. Even though she's 10, she still plays like a puppy at times and loves to go on long walks.

We're finding out a lot of cute things about her. She likes to roll towels in a ball to create a makeshift pillow out of them. She stamps her feet at dinner time. And she has some set of choppers on her! We can only give her toys that are indestructible, like the Kong.

I know I've said it before, but next to getting engaged, she's the best birthday present ever.

Tell you something else about Cupcake...she stopped whacking me after about year, and now she can't decide whether to nap on my flannel pajamas, or the Woolrich fleece blanket(s)..that are all over for her. She did okay....and so did I. Thanks Nellie for caring.

Martta, I had a Springer who used to kill toys. He liked the kong......I'd put peanut butter inside and stick it in th efreezer first.

jimmyp and Mrs. M - I just LOVE hearing stories like yours!

s'my life Karen

Thanks, Karen.

Petco sells all these pastes to go into the Kong. Haven't tried them yet because I'm not sure how her tummy will react. We put treats in ours, though.

Hey Jimmy!

Thank you so much for adopting Cupcake, I do remember that kitty! I am so glad she is doing well :) Sad that cats that come in skittish may not survive in the new shelter :(

Nachos actually adopted 3 feral cats from PAWS! :) and Nellie has adopted a few herself...

Feral cats can bring some much joy into your life, especially when you see them give you a little sign that they love you just the same as a friendly cat!

She loves me alright. She used to enjoy making me bleed. Now she cuddles with me, and loves it when I whisper to her. I guess we're both glad I'm not a hemophiliac.

"...we should have a first clas shelter"...."I want the best education for my kids, and my streets clean..."... "...for all the taxes we pay..."... Always, more of the same hand-wringing here. Where do people specifically think the necesary funds should come from? And spare us the "cut Hartnett salary" screed. BE SPECIFIC, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS OF SIZE!

Well, lets see.

PAWS was making do on donations until MOntclair decided to negotiate a contract with Glen Ridge and Verona (I think) that said that Montclair's shelter would take in all of their strays.

What does that contract say? How much is Montclair charging and what rate of occupancy is it based on?

Montclair has also contracted out to animal control for several towns. What does that contract say? How much per year or animal?

Want to save some money- switch from an appointed BOE to a duly elected BOE and revise the rules so that the Town Council can have line item veto on the BOE's budget.

$850,000 to move the ball field 17 feet!!

The new school should be put on hold until some future date.

Did anyone happen to catch last week's issue of the Montclair Times? There is a picture of one of the PAWS cats Belbo on the cover.

Under the new Euth policy, Belbo would have been a goner. He got a case of Calici virus so severe we thought he might die. However, we, along with Dr Cameron treated him and look at him today! I did a follow up with his new family and they could not be happier with him.

So even the most adoptable cats are in trouble should they come down with something.

Belbo was isolated away from all the other cats during his treatment, so it did not spread to any more cats.

I think the new administration has no idea what they are doing.

One of the greatest cats I ever shared a home with had feline leukemia. She was always very healthy until she contracted leukemia because of the sloppy work of a vet in NYC (but that's a different story)
She was very ill and I nursed her back to good health. Knowing a bit about the benefits of "health" food as it used to be called, I applied many of the same principles to her diet. Giving her very nutritious foods and trying to sneak vitamins into her food so she would eat it.
She was always indoors and there was no chance of unintended pregnancy, but years later I had her spayed at midlife because the new vet said she would probably be healthier and live longer.
Much to my surprise when we did pre-operation testing, she was COMPLETELY FREE OF LEUKEMIA!
SHE HAD BEEN CURED! Although it may not be common, I believe that just like humans, cats with Feline Aids and Leukemia can live a long and happy life and deserve to.

I adopted an elderly FIV cat named Tinkerbell from PAWS in March of 2003. At the time, the possibility of euth was being discussed because she was very symptomatic with gum disease and chronic diarrhea. I had taken to her and decided to bring her home even if it meant she would be with me for only a very short time. Well, guess what??? Once she got into a home away from the stress of the shelter, and with good vet care, her symptoms subsided and she lived until February of 2007--FOUR YEARS!!!! That's a pretty good record for an elderly cat, even without FIV. I now have my sweet PeeWee, who I adopted at 14 years old in 2004. She is STILL going strong at 19...

Would either of these cats stand a chance today? Very sad...

Cuddles, you are right...Belbo was alarmingly ill. I didn't think he would make it...Love the happy endings.

Good for you Nellie.

Hey Loonie,
Did Paws reject you from adopting an animal? It sounds like you were turned away because of character. You need to attend a charm school.
Maybe you visited a different shelter. Any time I was there they were scouring the cages and taking excellent care of the cats and dogs. And lazy they were not, they constantly worked and gave lots of love and compassion to the cats and dogs. You need to cool off. You got big problems to email something like that.

I've been in a couple of shelters and breeders that were substandard (read : hell holes). I adopted Vatchie (nee Cupcake) from PAWS in 2007. The staff couldn't have been more helpful, and the place was clean. My hope going forward is that any animal ending up in the shelter formerly known as PAWS gets more than a fair shake, and a happy ending for all, despite human agendas and overt mean spiritedness.
My sense of fair play and empathy for helpless creatures demands this of me.

Yes I agree with you Jimmy. The place was a lot cleaner than some other places I have visited. I am used to the shelter smell, but when I visited another shelter, the smell walking in was overwhelming. It was nothing like PAWS, even before it has been cleaned.

I feel the staff did a great job cleaning, we had a great team of volunteers that cared for each and every animal.

Many of our volunteers now have one to 3 more cats than they had when we closed, real dedication.

I really miss PAWS and the work it did.

Hey Loonie:

Ever been to a nursing home? They don't always smell too nice either. Maybe we should euthanize all the old people who poop in their pants.

I volunteered a few times at PAWS as a cat socializer. The staff couldn't have been nicer or worked harder.

That was a nasty post. Get some help!

After doing some follow up calls on recently adopted cats, we found out that our almost 3 year old cat Meeko, who tested positive for FELV has now fought off the illness and is now negative!

He would have lasted about 5 mins in the new shelter.... He also spent 2.5 years in an all FELV room and is now negative, so the illness is not as contagious as the new admin is making it out to be! Amazing...

I adopted my beloved dog COCO from PAWS almost 10 years ago. The shelter was not a palace but the people who volunteered their time showed their love for animals who no one cared for. This is just another example of how Hartnett is ruining our town.
We don't have money for some things (skating arena, library. etc) but we suddenly have enough money to refurbish and STAFF an animal facility. Kind of makes you wonder his motive.

Laura Loonie obviously has big problems. Maybe we're lucky she has a keyboard to use as a weapon. She posts her nasty comments on any subject not just PAWS. She either thinks she's funny or is in serious need of something more than charm school!

I'd say too many visits to the Bottle King!

As a volunteer for PAWS, I'd like to say a couple of things (and I'd also like to note that these comments are my own and in no way should be attributed to PAWS or PAWS staff):

1. Laura, the shelter was cleaned every day. As with many places that house animals or humans, there was an odor...but it also was contributed to by the town not fixing the building which is slowly mouldering. I'm sorry that you didn't care enough to come in and help out by cleaning the shelter to your standards. I know that PAWS is always looking for good volunteers. maybe you'll reconsider when PAWS gets a new space!

2. Speaking of volunteers, I find it odd that the town is now pro-volunteer. When they "unofficially" addressed the paws issue during a council meeting, they said the paws volunteers (and volunteers in general) couldn't be counted on because often there are changes in life circumstances and other obstacles that prevent volunteers from being truly reliable...it should be noted that in the same meeting the council also said they had a person volunteer to donate food for the first year (?).

3. the "gently used sofa" and coffee table are probably going to fill one of the many offices that Melissa plans to have in the new shelter (read: less room for animals and more room for paperwork). I'm not sure how they'll house animals from at least 3 towns (I believe there are 3 currently signed on) with less space and for less money. But perhaps it's all part of the great renovation.

4. A note to pet owners: when I emailed Fried to ask who we contact regarding lost pets while the two ACOs are on vacation (at the same time) and the shelter is closed, he had no response. Nor did he respond to my questions regarding the euthanasia policy instead he referred me to the town website and gave me Melissa's contact information. The town has been planning this for a while, but they're still scrambling with no set policies or procedures.

As a Montclair resident and animal lover, I certainly hope that the town shelter is going to be all that the town says it will be, but the council isn't not being very "transparent" about how they plan to make it so.

Thanks Dis.

Without a core of dedicated volunteers (the ones you can count on day in and day out; rain, snow, sleet or blizzard) the shelter will be doomed. I'm not a resident of Montclair but I have dealt with town councils and mayors who want the "best" for the animals at their shelters. I have one thing to say to them. Yeah, right. They've got other plans for that real estate. If not this year, soon.