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Two oil paintings were stolen last week from a North Street gallery.

$1K Reward Offered for Stolen Pittsfield Paintings

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the safe return of two paintings that were stolen from a gallery within Methuselah Bar and Lounge earlier this month. 

The oil paintings by Pittsfield-based artist Edward Pelkey were taken from the Tartell Gallery in the rear of the restaurant on Jan. 8 around 4:30 p.m., according to video surveillance. 
 
The footage shows a man entering through an abutting, vacant storefront that shares a bathroom with the bar and gallery, turning on the lights, taking the artwork, and turning off the lights before exiting. 
 
Due to the image quality, details of the man's features cannot be made out but the video has been shared on Facebook in hopes of someone recognizing him.
 
"We're just eager to get the artwork back if possible," owner Yuki Cohen said. 
 
The Pittsfield Police Department has turned the investigation over to its detective unit for a more in-depth analysis of the video and a search for other footage. 
 
Cohen noted that the person had keys to enter from the neighboring space and seemed familiar with the gallery, as the whole incident took less than a couple of minutes. 
 
Methuselah is closed on Sundays. 
 
While all parties hope to track down the person who did this, the main goal is to get Pelkey's artwork back. 
 
"The New Gunfighter in Town" features a man in a red shirt shooting through saloon doors and is 30 by 24 inches. "The Cubist Bounty Hunter" shows a figure in Mandalorian style armor shooting a gun with vibrantly colored action lines around it and is 18 by 14 inches. Both are oil on canvas. 
 
The abutting storefront at 393 North St. has formerly housed Shire Glass and Omega 1 African Fashion.  

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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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