The Little Paws Animal Shelter in Buxton could be forced to close after it received a foreclosure letter from a bank last week.

Eva Allen, the shelter’s director, said she needs to raise $270,000 within two to four months to halt the foreclosure after falling behind on payments. An anonymous donor, who had been helping the shelter through its financial difficulties, can no longer contribute money for mortgage payments.

“I will not give up,” Allen said.

The stress has put Allen under a doctor’s care, but she’s clinging to hope. She’s determined to keep the shelter from closing. “I love these animals,” she said, kissing a puppy. “This is a good shelter. It really is.”

The shelter’s pet population has dwindled to two dogs, nine cats and five puppies. Hannaford is donating all the pet food. Cash donations from the community have “pretty much” stopped. “We may get $30 a week,” she said.

Facing mounting bills, Allen wept while talking to a lawyer on the telephone Monday. There’s also a town of Buxton tax lien on the shelter, which also owes the Internal Revue Service $8,000. She didn’t know how much the shelter owes the state of Maine.

In arrears $430 for power, the shelter’s electric service might be cutoff on Nov. 10. There’s enough oil for two weeks, but the shelter has slipped behind $500 on that bill. A credit card is maxed out.

Allen said income for the shelter has dropped to virtually “none.” Her health is declining, and she has lost 30 pounds. Allen, who has four children and four grandchildren, said her family has kept her going.

Getting up from a chair in the office at the shelter, she walked to a box in the lobby and picked up a puppy. On Monday, she saved the five week-old puppies, which were born to a mother dog that is running loose in Buxton.

“How could you not look at these guys and say it’s not worth another day,” she said.

It slipped a collar and got away from a volunteer in Buxton, who was walking it. Without a mom to nurse them, the puppies will be bottle-fed. Some shelters would kill the puppies, she said.

In December of last year, she described the financial situation at the shelter as very critical. The shelter was having a hard time keeping up with its mortgage payments. The shelter lost contracts to take strays from Buxton, Limington and Standish.

It gave up a contract with another town because they were bringing in dogs that couldn’t be adopted because they were either sick or mean. The only town that still has a contract with the shelter is Old Orchard Beach.

With adoptions slipping, she began rescuing Georgia dogs from being killed. The last shipment of 24 dogs arrived on Sept. 17, but Little Paws wasn’t able to pay the $800 in costs.

The shelter got a boost for a short time last winter when it received a $20,000 grant to be used for the care of animals. The shelter couldn’t, however, use the grant to make its $1,100 monthly mortgage payments. After the grant money was depleted, an animal hospital in Biddeford donated shots and wormers for pets. She owes a vet $2,000.

“He said don’t worry about it. If you have a sick animal, just come,” Allen said he told her.

In addition to volunteers, Allen has had two paid part-time employees, who have worked up to 35 hours a week for 15 hours of pay. Allen hasn’t drawn a paycheck for about two months, and now lives with a friend rent-free.

The shelter cost $250,000 to build about three years ago. She sold five acres “up north” and mortgaged other property in Corinth to buy 10 acres and build the shelter in Buxton.

Eva Allen, director of Little Paws Animal Shelter, which faces foreclosure.Eva Allen kisses a puppy she rescued this week in Buxton.Eva Allen, director of the Little Paws animal shelter, kisses a puppy she rescued this week in Buxton.

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