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Joshua Christman was the first to alert authorities of more than a dozen cats abandoned on the eve a snowstorm in January. On Wednesday, he and his family were the first to adopt one of the cats, a ginger named Arlo Guthrie.
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Getting Arlo ready for his trip home.
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Executive Director of Berkshire Humane Society John Perreault thanks Christman.

First Cat From January Dumping Incident Finds Forever Home

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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Arlo Guthrie is a 10-month-old kitten who went to his forever home on Wednesday. A second cat is set to be adopted on Thursday but nine others still need homes. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The story began with a phone call to the Berkshire Humane Society from Good Samaritan Joshua Christman reporting a "roadblock of cats" and ended with one of the felines becoming a part of his family.

On Wednesday, the first of the 11 cats who were brought to the shelter after being dumped in Richmond and Lanesborough in late January went to a forever home.

Christman, who made the discovery while visiting a Richmond Pond with his daughter, adopted Arlo Guthrie, a 10-month-old domestic shorthair. He was accompanied by his wife, Jessica, and children Alice and Gabriel.

"It feels really good," he said about taking home the cat named after the local folk singer-songwriter.

"My wife saw him on the video and she fell in love with him immediately, I knew we would be coming to get him shortly after."

Soon after stumbling upon a literal roadblock of cats, Christman posted a video to his Facebook showing the scared animals scattered on the road, meowing; one even crawled up onto the wheel of his car.

It was clear that they wanted help.

The video has been viewed nearly 5,000 times.

"This is the man, this is the reason why all those cats are so lucky because he saw something, he reported it, and not only did he report it, Josh stayed behind and helped to support it," Executive Director of Berkshire Humane Society John Perreault said.

"It was because of Josh, the reason these cats had the ending that they did for sure."

The next morning, another group of cats was found in Lanesborough. All of the males are from Richmond and the females are from Lanesborough.


The cats were captured by Animal Dreams volunteers, Lanesborough Animal Control, and multiple rescuers.

Two Pittsfield individuals, Kelly Hathaway and Arthur W. Raney, are both facing 15 counts of animal cruelty for the alleged dumping of the cats. They had non-guilty pleas entered on their behalf in Pittsfield District Court in March and have a pre-trial hearing scheduled for May 9.

Christman said his family came in about a week after the rescue to check on the cats and Arlo climbed right up into his wife's chest.

"He's very friendly, he will fit in great with our cats," He added.

Mr. Guthrie will join six other rescues that are a part of the Christman family.

The remaining cats at the shelter range from long hairs to short hairs and vary in color. Their ages range from about 5 1/5 months to 7 years old. All have been vetted and neutered for adoption.

The females were given names that begin with D: Demi, Dixie, Darla, and Delilah, and the males were named after musicians: Ben King, Chuck Berry, Frank Sinatra, George Michael, and Dan Fogelberg.

One male, Eric Clapton, needs to improve medically before he can be adopted.

Chuck is set to go to his forever home Thursday and Demi has an interested adopter. The shelter reported that there has been interest in all of the available male cats but not yet in Dixie, Darla, and Delilah.

Christman said he has stayed in contact with some of the people who helped him out that night. He reported that there has been a lot of interest from the public in adopting the cats and hopes that they all find homes soon.

Adoption applications can be found on the shelter's website.


Tags: Berkshire Humane Society,   cats,   

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2nd Street Second Chances Receives Mass Sheriffs Association Award

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

The event took place Tuesday in the Great Hall at the State House.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Second Street Second Chances has garnered statewide recognition for its efforts to prevent recidivism.

The Massachusetts Sheriffs Association honored it with the Program of the Year Award during its second annual law enforcement and corrections award ceremony on Tuesday.

"I'm so proud of Second Street Second Chances for winning the Program of the Year award, which they truly deserve," Berkshire County Sheriff Thomas Bowler said.

"Under the guidance of Executive Director Lindsay Cornwell, 2nd Street has become a trusted and respected resource for formerly incarcerated persons in Berkshire County. 2nd Street's dedication and genuine care have paved the way for their clients to reenter their communities with dignity and purpose."

Personnel from across the commonwealth gathered at the State House in Boston to applaud their colleagues. There were 10 categories of awards for individuals, departments, and programs.

Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi, president of the MSA, led the ceremony which was live-streamed on social media.

"Our correctional and law enforcement professionals are the unsung heroes of our justice system. Day in and day out, they commit themselves to challenging a vital mission and that mission is to make a difference, both in our communities and in the lives of the justice-involved individuals entrusted in our care," Cocchi said.

"These individuals who have faced their share of difficulties deserve our respect, compassion, and the opportunity for a successful re-entrance. It is the dedication and tireless efforts of our sheriff's offices, their professionalism, that make this a reality. These devoted professionals play a pivotal role in ensuring that the individuals in our care have the chance to rebuild their lives to return home better, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters."

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