Connecticut Marathoner Runs for a Cause: Paws [VIDEO]

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was published earlier this week on Patch, but is posted again today in case you missed it.

ENFIELD, CT — As he readies himself to run his 40th marathon, longtime Enfield resident Tom Zukowski is also focusing on a goal he feels is even more important - saving the lives of innocent dogs, cats, puppies and kittens.

Zukowski, a technician at WFSB-TV in Hartford for over 25 years, has joined a pair of colleagues from the station in creating an incentive-based fundraiser to benefit the North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization.

Since 1944, NSALA has been recognized as a leader in the no-kill movement, rescuing and rehabilitating animals instead of euthanizing them. To date, the lives of over 1 million animals have been saved through the efforts of the organization.

"I am proud to say that I have had a long and wonderful relationship with the great people at North Shore Animal League America," Zukowski said. "I have had the honor of running for North Shore at the New York City Marathon in 2014 and the Hamptons Marathon in 2015, raising over $15,000 in the process, and I was the top fundraiser in 2014 thanks to your awesome support."

A member of Team HMF - the Hartford Marathon Foundation Ambassador team - Zukowski and his wife, Lori, got involved with NSALA when they saw a 15-year-old deaf cat in need of a home on organization spokesperson Beth Stern's Twitter page.

"It turns out the cat was in Cromwell of all places, and two days later he came home with us and lived for two more years," Zukowski recalled. "Beth had her team at North Shore help us integrate Max into our home with our other animals, and we have since become close friends with her and the staff at NSALA."

The couple currently has two animals adopted from North Shore: a dog named Marcus, and a special needs cat named Sir William of One Eye, or Willy.

"Willy was hit by a car and brought into North Shore by a passerby," Zukowski explained. "He required four years of care and rehabilitation before he was healthy enough to come and live in our home in 2015. We were honored to receive the "Crystal Collar Award" on his behalf at the 2015 North Shore Animal League Celebrity Gala."

As an incentive to encourage donations prior to this fall's running, Zukowski and his co-workers have instituted "Pies for Puppies," which enables any person donating $20 or more by Aug. 1 to have the opportunity to nail one of them in the face with a pie.

As of Tuesday night, Zukowski has raised $2,104 this year, slightly more than 70 percent of his goal of $3,000. He hopes the chance to plaster him with pastry will motivate more donors to come forward and help the animals.

To find out more information about North Shore Animal League America or to donate, click here.

Photo credits: Tom Zukowski, Ashley Haluch
Video credit: Alex Jensen