TJO Rescues, Cares for 11 Emaciated Pit Bulls, MSPCA Filing Charges

Springfield’s Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center is caring for eleven, severely emaciated Pit Bull dogs following a rescue operation that quickly turned into an MSPCA investigation. The MSPCA will be filing charges of animal cruelty following a 24-hour investigation that uncovered the most malnourished victims at a Springfield residence Tuesday afternoon. The Pit Bulls, many of which are puppies between 20-30% of their normal bodyweight, are currently receiving critical care at the adoption center.   More on the rescue

Thanks to All Who Donate

All of us at TJO would like to thank the countless animal lovers in our community that continually come through for the animals in our care time and time again!  You never let us or the animals down.  No matter what our needs are, all we have to do is ask and there you are.  You bring comfortable bedding, canned cat and dog food, bleach, laundry soap, toys, rawhide, paper towels and so much more.  For every wish list item you donate, it frees up money for us to spend on spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchips and other needs critical to the animals’ well being. 

It is amazing to come to the shelter each day and be met with donated bags of bedding, jars of peanut butter, gallons of bleach, bags of rawhide and more.  Many of you come before or after hours to support us and we often never learn your name or have an opportunity to thank you in person.  I hope you experience the same warm fuzzy feelings that our staff does when we see all the goodies coming in for the animals.  Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for helping to make the animals’ temporary stay at TJO feel like their home away from home as much as possible.  We simply could not do it without you. 

With deepest appreciation,
The Staff at TJO

TJO Foundation

We receive a lot of questions about the role of the TJO Foundation, our 501c3 charitable giving organization. The TJO Foundation is a fundraising organization that is completely separate from our municipal finances and is governed by a board of directors.  We are fortunate to have a group of dedicated animal lovers on our board who work tirelessly on behalf of TJO animals.

More than ever, we have been asking the TJO Foundation to support our basic operational needs.  Our municipal budget has been drastically reduced in recent years.  Our municipal budget allows us to provide the basics for the animals in our care.  However, to extend our life-saving efforts and place as many animals as possible in to new homes, we frequently call on the Foundation to provide for medical services not covered by our standard budget.  Many animals arriving at the Center are in need of antibiotics, specialized care, emergency surgery, antibiotics or many other treatments.  The Foundation is always there to support our efforts to give these special animals a second chance at life.

Your gift to the TJO Foundation will help to buy a vaccine for a kitten, provide an x-ray to a limping puppy or provide dental care to a senior animal. 

A $100 contribution will feed every animal in our shelter for a week or beyond thanks to the Hill’s Science Diet shelter feeding program.  The program provides free high-quality food for shelter animals; we only pay shipping costs.

A donation of $50 will spay or neuter a new companion for an elderly resident.  It doesn’t take much to make a big difference in the lives of animals during their phase of homelessness. As always, contributions to the TJO Foundation are tax-deductible.

If you can help, please visit our DONATE page.  From the animals of TJO, thank you for all you do.

Needed items:

Canned dog and cat food, plastic cat carriers, paper towels, bleach and laundry detergent, rawhide and other long-lasting chew toys for dogs, gift cards from various retailers such as Lowe's, Staples and Wal-Mart so we can get items as needed.

We are  in need of a couple of luxury items.  A Bair Hugger would help animals recovering from surgery more easily.  We are also in need of a projector so that we can provide better educational abilities for our staff, volunteers and publicly offered seminars.

As always, we are sincerely grateful for your continued support.

Look at our dedicated volunteers with our available dogs up for adoption!

PAWS IN THE PARK!

CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOS!

 FOSTER HOMES NEEDED:  A significant number of animals arrive at the Center not quite ready for the adoption floor.  We have animals with minor injuries, or all too often, moms with underage litters.  Sometimes TJO is just too frightening of a place for an animal and we look for a home-like environment.  We are most desperate for foster opportunities for moms and young kittens, or underage orphan kittens without their mothers.  Less often, there is a need for foster homes for pups with or without their mothers.  An animal shelter is not the best place for young animals to grow up.  That's why they need a small space in your home for a week, or maybe a month.  If you would like to know more about our foster program, please contact the Adoption Center at 886-5188.  It will make all the difference for an animal in need. Foster care application