Results: Since our beginning in 1992, we’ve sheltered over 57,000 homeless animals who are cared for and made available for adoption. We aren’t affiliated with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) or any other animal welfare group.
Berkshire Humane Society prides ourselves on being a valuable member of and an essential resource for our community.
As the only open admission shelter serving Berkshire County and surrounding areas, we accept all companion animals – no matter their age, breed, temperament or health. There’s no restriction on the length of time that any adoptable companion animal remains at the shelter. Some are with us for only days before they are placed with new loving families – others for months. We’re proud that we’re able to rehome 100 percent of our healthy, adoptable dogs, cats, small mammals and birds.
In addition to our primary mission of sheltering homeless animals, we offer many vital programs and services that benefit owned animals and their people in our community. These include low-cost spaying and neutering, free educational programs for local schools and organizations, a pet-food pantry for financially challenged pet owners and temporary foster care for the pets of owners who are in crisis or transition.
Berkshire Humane Society receives no local, state or federal funding. Therefore, the welfare of our companion animals and the future of our organization depend on the compassion and generosity of our friends and supporters.
Programs: Berkshire humane society (bhs) is a private, non-profit organization not affiliated with any other animal welfare group. Bhs receives no public funds from local, state, or federal sources - the animal shelter depends entirely on the compassion and generosity of its community. Each month, the shelter spends $100,000 helping animals and people. Berkshire humane society offers a variety of programs and services. In addition to adopting out companion animals, bhs offers family dog school, which was created to address the primary reason dogs and puppies are surrendered: "bad behavior. " family dog school offers free consultation and affordable training, providing sessions in manners, agility, tricks, and nose work. Annually, family dog school assists more than 360 people, helping to keep dogs in their home. Bhs fosters a deep connection to its community, offering low-cost spay/neuter programs and clinics for vaccinations and microchipping to under-served populations. The shelter partners with city officials to target neighborhoods most in need. Free medical exams are offered at these clinics, along with trap-neuter-return resources, which are a direct result of bhs's collaboration animal dreams, an organization dedicated to promoting the humane treatment and care of stray or feral cats in berkshire county and surrounding towns. Another valuable program serving both people and animals is bhs's safepet program, which is designed to assist victims of domestic violence and people experiencing extreme hardship or crisis. Bhs works in tandem with the elizabeth freeman center, a pittsfield-based resource for women, as well as the red cross, the brien center, and berkshire medical center. Pets entered into this free, 30-day program are fostered by bhs volunteers who care for the animals until they can be reunited with their family. The arrangement is entirely confidential. The safepet program has served 46 clients, which equals 2,143 days of animal care. More than 2,000 volunteer hours have been devoted to fostering animals in the safepet program. To support animals whose owners are experiencing financial difficulty, bhs offers a free pet food bank that is well-stocked from community donations. This service also helps keep pets in their home. Each year, the shelter receives approximately 1,000 requests for pet food. When possible, bhs supplies pet food to various food banks throughout berkshire county. Because bhs believes in fostering compassion in humans, the shelter offers numerous humane education programs. Camp humane is bhs's signature education program, offering 6 one-week sessions of summer camp for kids in 3rd through 6th grades. Kids learn about responsible pet ownership, local ecology, and community engagement. In 2017, bhs's humane hero program served 210 kids who love animals. These young volunteers learned about factory farming, dog training, local ecology, and enrichment. They also assisted with chores around the shelter such as folding laundry, sweeping floors, cleaning windows, and bagging dog food for the pet food bank. The defenders is bhs's teen volunteer program where kids visit the shelter each week to help with chores and cat care. They also engage in more than 250 hours of community service. The key program is a long-term foster care program for children in massachusetts. This program partners with bhs, sending 3 foster kids to the shelter each week to help clean, feed, and socialize cats. Berkshire humane society's humane education programs touch more than 2,100 children and adults over the course of each year through in-shelter programs, school tours, and school visits. By educating future generations, bhs fosters compassion and inspires advocacy. Catwalk boutique is an important revenue source for berkshire humane society. The successful resale shop in great barrington, which specializes in women's clothing and accessories, opened in 2014. The shop, which is run almost exclusively by volunteers and subsists entirely on donated items, netted $62,815 in 2017. In the winter of 2018-19, bhs plans to open a second location of catwalk boutique to help expand the shelter's presence and raise more money for animal care. The new shop will be in lenox, serving central and northern berkshires. For more information, please visit berkshirehumane. Org.
since its inception in 1992, bhs has sheltered more than 50,000 homeless animals. Each year, the shelter accepts more than 1,200 animals that are cared for and made available for adoption. Animals are surrendered for myriad reasons-financial hardship, death of owner, change in living circumstances. Shelter staff prioritize problem-solving to help keep animals in their home whenever possible. Caring for, rehabilitating, and placing surrendered animals into responsible homes is the crux of bhs's mission. Bhs is the only open-admission animal shelter in berkshire county and surrounding areas, which means that animals are accepted without discrimination against age, breed, or temperament. Many animals that come to bhs have nowhere else to go. There is no charge for surrendering an animal. From dogs and cats to birds and all types of small mammals, bhs is the place to find a new pet. Trained adoption counselors work with potential adopters to find the best fit for their families and lifestyles. The canine staff utilize the aspca's "meet your match," a science-based approach to evaluating dogs' personalities and behavior to determine a "caninality," which is then used to pair human lifestyles and expectations. Adoption fees include spaying/neutering, vaccinations, microchipping, worming, and a free lifetime of advice. Bhs loses money on every single adoption, and the shelter does not place limits on the amount of time that an adoptable animal stays at the shelter. In 2017, 795 animals were adopted. On average, dogs wait 16. 2 days to be adopted. Small animals wait 19. 2 days and cats wait 36. 4 days. In 2016, the cost of care during an average stay was more than $700 per animal. Bhs accepted 1,276 animals that year, and 1,269 in 2017. For more information, please visit berkshirehumane. Org.
