Both the Thomas. J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center and Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society facilities are offering emergency pet food and supplies daily.
Claude and Roberta Cyr are reunited with their pets after being displaced by the Springfield tornado from their Winton Street home. The animals are being cared for at the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center. SPRINGFIELD – Snowball, an indoor cat whose paws had rarely touched grass, survived on his own for over a week amidst the tornado-blasted debris of his East Forest Park neighborhood home.
The white cat’s owners, Roberta L. and Claude J. Cyr, home at 27 Winton St. when the June 1 tornado ripped through, thought that they’d never see Snowball again.
“She thought he was dead, we thought he was dead,” said Claude Cyr, 76.
Similar fears abound throughout the devastated areas of the region as residents struggle to rebound from the twisted wreckage.
Places like Thomas. J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center and Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society, which was directly in the path of one of the tornado as it rampaged through the South End, have been going full-out ever since helping residents find, and care for their pets.
Dakin is caring for about 100 Greater Springfield area pets until their owners get back on their feet, spokeswoman Candy Lash said. Along with cats and dog, animals in Dakin’s temporary care include “a couple of cockatiels, a couple of turtles. ... I think the iguana went home. It’s a bit like Noah’s ark around here,” she said.
Both facilities are offering emergency pet food and supplies daily, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for those in need.
“We have quite a bit of supplies thanks to our buddies in the community,” said T.J. O’Connor director Pam Peebles.
The Cyrs, after the tornado tossed a neighbor’s oak onto the roof of their Cape Cod-style home, gathered up their three small dogs, carefully put on their leash harnesses and walked out into the wind, rain and thunder.
“We had to keep going from one neighbor to another trying to fight the storm,” said Roberta Cyr, 63. Snowball, and their second cat, Baby, were nowhere to be found.
The bad news for the Cyrs continued the next day when their eldest dog, Peanut, an 11-year-old fox terrier, long ailing and traumatized by the storms, had to be put down at T.J. O’Connor the following morning.
“We couldn’t take care of her,” Roberta Cyr said, her voice breaking.
T.J. O’Connor, however, helped the Cyrs, now temporarily living with a cousin on Berkshire Avenue, by taking in their two surviving Chihuahuas, Peewee and Buffy.
Returning to their ruined home for the first time on Friday, the Cyrs found Baby crouching on the attic stairs.
Since then, the Cyrs made a new routine of visiting their three pets every afternoon where they are being kept in a private area, and searching for Snowball back in their neighborhood.
They say that Peewee and Buffy seem to know when they are coming and that they are often waiting at the door when they walk in.
A report of a white cat in the neighborhood prompted Animal Control Officer Lori Charette to place a trap in the Cyrs’ yard. Along with food, Charette baited it with one of the Crys’ T-shirts and fur from their pets at T.J. O’Connor to provide a familiar and comforting scent, Peebles said.
Success came Wednesday morning when Charette discovered Snowball meowing inside the trap. The Cyrs were buying emergency supplies at Wal-Mart when Charette called with the good news.
“I said ‘Oh my God,’” Roberta Cyr said. “(Charette) said she was a little dehydrated and pale, but good.”
The Cyrs said their next step is to find a temporary home until they can rebuild. “We need a place where we can be together,” Roberta Cyr said.
Other T.J. O’Connor success stories in wake of the tornadoes include the rescue of a cockatiel and hamster from two separate homes on Williams Street in the early morning hours of the day after the tornadoes.
Peebles said the family that owned the cockatiel, sheltering at MassMutual Center, were frantic to find their bird and a cat that unfortunately remains missing.
Peebles said they found the cockatiel safe within the family’s home, inside the only room left standing. “We brought the bird over the MassMutual Center,” Peebles said. “They couldn’t get through the night without the bird.”
The owners of the missing hamster were equally thrilled to get their beloved pet back. “You would have thought we had given them their home back,” Peebles said.
Other animals currently at T.J. O’Connor include a 6-foot boa constrictor, geckos, guppies and goldfish.
In the immediate aftermath of the tornado, Dakin, which was directly in the tornadoes path and sustained major damage, and T.J. O’Connor split up their duties. Dakin is primarily caring for animals that people have had to relinquish due to the tornadoes or animals that may need temporary care.
T.J. O’Connor, meanwhile, is handling all strays, search and rescues and other field work.
Both organizations are seeking donation of such items as dog and cat food, clay cat litter and other pet supplies. T.J. O’Connor is at 627 Cottage St. and Dakin is at 171 Union St. Monetary donations can be made to both through their respective websites, www.tjoconnoradoptioncenter.com and www.dpvhs.org.