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Siblings Starr, left, and Beethoven have been at the Berkshire Humane Society since March and are available for adoption.
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Family Dog School instructor Tricia Phillips, left, and Simone Olivieri, a canine adoption counselor, take Beethoven and Starr for a walk down North Street.

Humane Society Pups Go Downtown in Forever Home Search

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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Simone Olivieri, a canine adoption counselor, and Family Dog School instructor Tricia Phillips say the outing is to raise awareness of National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day  and to give Starr and Beethoven a fun outing. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Adoptable pups Beethoven and Starr took a stroll down North Street on Tuesday with hopes of finding forever homes on National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day.

"Pittie smiles" were all around as the 6-year-old siblings sniffed their way down the sidewalk with Berkshire Humane Society staff members. The brindle-coated beauties are cuddle bugs who would like a home — either separate or together — with a comfy couch to lay on and a few good walks a day.

"There are a lot of animals in the shelter right now but there's a lot of dogs," Director of Development and Marketing Nikki Kellogg said.

"People seem to be gravitating towards the cats, there are more cat adoptions so we'd like to get more exposure to the dogs so that people realize that dogs are available for adoption, stop down and see what we have, give a dog a second chance to come home, and just trying to give them exposure and get them out of the shelter for enrichment."

Beethoven, a male, and Starr, a female, are large-sized American pit bull mixes and have been at Berkshire Humane Society since late March. Beethoven could potentially live in a home with another male dog and Starr would do best as the only animal.  

They have lived with children before and could potentially go to a home with kids older than 10.

"They are also good candidates for coming out and bringing everybody and being in this environment away from the shelter because they are so good with people," canine adoption counselor Simone Olivieri said, adding that they have been great with their routine at the shelter.

With a change in diet, their coats have become soft and shiny, the blonder hues highlighted by the sun.


Every day, the lights are dimmed at the facility for an hour and 15 minutes for a nap time when all of the pups are given chew toys and a break from visitors. This has been beneficial for the brother and sister duo.

"The reason is to give them a break so they can rest and nap the same way that toddlers need to nap," Olivieri said.

"It really helps them kind of reset, decompress, and relax.  We have noticed that it really is helping them settle down in their kennels."

When adopting from BHS, dogs come with a variety of pre and post-adoption vaccinations, treatments, and services including spay and neuter surgery, rabies vaccination for puppies over 3 months old, testing for heartworm and other tick-borne diseases, and a microchip.

A free health exam at a local veterinarian and a discounted Manner Level 1 class at Family Dog School are also among the perks. Adoption fees for adult dogs are $275, puppies 8 weeks to 6 months $375, and senior dogs 7 years and older $150.

More information on Starr, Beethoven, and many other dogs can be found here.


Tags: Berkshire Humane Society,   dogs,   

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Lanesborough to Vote on 34 Articles at ATM

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Voters will decide 34 warrant articles at the annual town meeting on June 11.

The Select Board endorsed a long list of articles during its regular meeting on Monday, most without discussion. 

A $11,846,607 spending plan has been proposed for fiscal year 2025, a 4.3 percent increase from the this year. The budget includes a net increase of $237,129 in education costs for the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School, less than the $271,478 increase in FY24. 

Three articles are related to short-term rentals, or Airbnbs: To impose a local excise tax of up to 6 percent of the total amount of rent for each occupancy, a 3 percent impact fee on "professionally managed" short-term rentals, and a 3 percent impact fee on short-term rentals in two- or three-family dwellings.

"These are the proposed language as provided by town counsel," Town Administrator Gina Dario explained.

Included in the 34 articles is one citizen's petition, which the board was not required to endorse. If passed, this petition would increase the Select Board from three to five members with an annual election of the chair. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes in that election would serve a three-year term, the candidate receiving the second highest number of votes would serve a two-year term, and the candidate receiving the third highest number of votes would serve a one-year term, with three-year terms to follow.

Two articles needed clearance from the Planning Board before coming to the Select Board, one being a request to amend the town's zoning bylaw to raise the cap on accessory dwelling units from 900 to 2,500 square feet.  

The proposal is in response to the lack of housing availability in the community and is the second go-around.

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