Berkshire County — Beethoven, a six-year-old pit bull mix, has become an office favorite at Berkshire Humane Society. Most dogs who come to the socially conscious shelter stay about three months before getting adopted. Beethoven has been here the longest, around a year, in part because, while he is great with people, he can’t go to a home with other animals. “He has a very high prey drive. He would not do well around a lot of other animals or commotions,” says Canine Adoption Counselor Simone Olivieri. Beethoven came to the shelter with his sister, who was “dog social” and got along with everything. She got adopted after just a month or so.
But in the last few years, it has been hard to find homes even for dogs who are great with everyone, says Olivieri. “So the ones that need more specific houses are really difficult to place right now.” This week, hoping to provide extra incentive, Berkshire Humane has been running a promotion that waives the adoption fee for dogs who are over a year old. People still have to apply and get approved to adopt a dog, but through Monday, February 24, the adoption fees that total $300 for an adult dog are waived. Their website profiles the dogs currently available. Several, including Beethoven, are free anytime going forward because their fees have been covered by private sponsors.
The housing crisis is exacerbating the difficulties in adopting pets out. “During COVID, there was a moratorium on evictions, so people were staying in their homes,” explains Marketing Communications Manager Catherine Hibbard. “After that was lifted, that’s when we started to see more people surrendering their dogs, especially because of that—losing their pet housing. It wasn’t because they didn’t want the animal anymore.”
“During COVID, we couldn’t keep an animal in here,” Hibbard continues. Now they have a constant waitlist of surrender calls and have to prioritize who needs them the most. Compounding these problems, says Olivieri, “Now dogs are staying longer because not as many people are adopting, because they adopted during COVID and aren’t looking anymore.” They haven’t done animal transports from other regions, like the South, lately in order to serve the community here first.
“It’s not something unique to here,” says Hibbard. “It’s nationwide. Dog adoptions are down, and cat adoptions are up. With cats, she says, “it’s like a week and they’re gone,” regardless of age. Presumably, more housing situations allow cats than dogs.
A lot of insurance companies, and therefore landlords, also discriminate against specific dog breeds. Berkshire Humane gets a lot of pit bull mixes, the breed most often restricted, but some companies have even longer lists, or weight restrictions, all of which can be very arbitrary. So many dogs have a little bit of pit bull in them, says Hibbard, if they were to get a DNA test. And “pit bull” is often used as a blanket term for a lot of breeds with a blocky head and a strong, muscular build. At the shelter, they try to combat negative perceptions by how they list the primary description of the dog. They also don’t put breeds on the dogs’ name labels in the kennel anymore.
“It’s just better to meet that individual dog,” says Olivieri. “We know each individual dog. In Beethoven’s case, he will not do well in the apartment if there are other animals. So we’re going to explain to people why he would do better in a home in a residential area where there’s not going to be dogs next door, because he does have his specific personality.” Hibbard notes that there is actually legislation right now in the Massachusetts Senate and House, Bill 194, “An Act to maintain stable housing for families with pets,” which would make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of dog breed. “That would be a great plus for us if that happened to pass.”
“We’re an adoption shelter, but our primary focus now is to keep animals out of the shelter,” claims Hibbard. They run a pet food bank to help people keep their pets, and last year, their requests for assistance more than doubled; they filled 4,500 requests and partnered with Meals on Wheels to get pet food included in their deliveries. Their program SafePet partners with local medical centers to allow people to board their pet at Berkshire Humane Society for free for up to a month if they have nobody to take care of them when they are in treatment. And their new low-cost vet clinic on Dalton Avenue makes veterinary care accessible to those in financial need.
Two other dogs who have been at Berkshire Humane Society the longest are both surrenders and pit bull mixes. Mina is a small all-white pit bull mix who is nine. She is also deaf and had ear infections when she was surrendered. Now she is in foster care because she was having a tough time at the shelter and suffering from separation anxiety. “Sometimes they have to get out of this environment and they can relax,” says Olivieri.
Freya, a two-year-old pit bull mix, was surrendered because she was getting into fights with the other dog in the house. Olivieri emphasizes, however, “We don’t place dogs out that are aggressive. We’re not going to place a dog that has a bite history or is dangerous towards people.” As a socially conscious, but not a no-kill shelter, BHS is open admission—the only in Berkshire County. “We take any animal, regardless of their behavior or medical condition, some of the animals that other shelters won’t take,” explains Hibbard. “We will not adopt out an animal who is unhealthy or dangerous. In those cases, we have to euthanize. That’s why we’re not a no-kill.” (They also offer end-of-life help essentially free for pet owners who can’t afford other euthanasia services, which can cost up to $600.)
Freya has been improving immensely from a socialization and training. “She’s still not great with kids, and wary of some strangers,” says Olivieri. “But we have been taking her out on field trips. We’ve taken her to Tractor Supply, to Home Depot. Getting her out in the world and watching her improve has been really amazing.” Like many of these dogs, she is “so sweet with the people she builds the trust with.”
Hibbard notes that due to the training and attention the dogs get, “they just are better dogs than when they came in here. So if people looked at first, they need to come again because they are different dogs. He will be a different dog.” Since a recent training, Olivieri has been implementing playgroups for the dogs, which tells her about their specific needs, while helping the dogs. “You can see that they’re a little bit happier, more fulfilled, a little bit better in their kennels. Just even five to 10 minutes of that a day really benefits them mentally and physically.”
