ani

Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)


Visit Berkshire Humane Society (BHS) >> http://berkshirehumane.org/   (report broken link)
3
Reviews
1.7
Visit Berkshire Humane Society (BHS) >> http://berkshirehumane.org/
(report broken link)
Massachusetts NoKill Directory

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Organizations listed in this directory are not no-kill shelters. For a list of NoKill Animal Shelters visit our

NoKill Directory

Located in Pittsfield, MA, Berkshire Humane Society (BHS) is a private nonprofit animal shelter.

Since our beginning in 1992, BHS has sheltered over 43,000 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.

BHS 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, BHS accepts all companion animals – no matter their age, breed, temperament, or health. There is 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% of all our healthy, adoptable dogs, cats, small mammals, and birds.

In addition to our primary mission of sheltering homeless animals, BHS offers 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.

BHS 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.



Phone: (413) 447-7878


214 Barker Rd,
Pittsfield, MA 01201

Do you need to find a loving home for your pet?

No-kill shelters do wonderful work, but as a result, are often inundated with pet surrenders. In the unfortunate scenario that you have to find a new home for your pet, please read through the rehoming solution and articles on this page before contacting the shelter.

Review Summary*

Submit Your Own Review View All Reviews
Feral Cat TNR Program
0
Reviews
0
High-Volume, Low-Cost Spay/Neuter
0
Reviews
0
Rescue Groups
0
Reviews
0
Foster Care
0
Reviews
0
Comprehensive Adoption Programs
1
Reviews
1
Pet Retention
0
Reviews
0
Medical and Behavior Programs
0
Reviews
0
Public Relations/Community Involvement
0
Reviews
0
Volunteers
1
Reviews
1
Proactive Redemptions
0
Reviews
0
A Compassionate Director
1
Reviews
3
Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

1. Feral Cat TNR Program

Many communities are embracing Trap, Neuter, Release programs (TNR) to improve animal welfare, reduce death rates, and meet obligations to public welfare.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

2. High-Volume, Low-Cost Spay/Neuter

Low cost, high volume spay/neuter will quickly lead to fewer animals entering the shelter system, allowing more resources to be allocated toward saving lives.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

3. Rescue Groups

An adoption or transfer to a rescue group frees up scarce cage and kennel space, reduces expenses for feeding, cleaning, killing, and improves a community's rate of lifesaving. In an environment of millions of dogs and cats killed in shelters annually, rare is the circumstance in which a rescue group should be denied an animal.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

4. Foster Care

Volunteer foster care is crucial to No Kill. Without it, saving lives is compromised. It is a low cost, and often no cost, way of increasing a shelter's capacity, improving public relations, increasing a shelter's public image, rehabilitating sick and injured or behaviorally challenged animals, and saving lives.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

5. Comprehensive Adoption Programs

Adoptions are vital to an agency's lifesaving mission. The quantity and quality of shelter adoptions is in shelter management's hands, making lifesaving a direct function of shelter policies and practice. In fact, studies show people get their animals from shelters only 20% of the time. If shelters better promoted their animals and had adoption programs responsive to the needs of the community, including public access hours for working people, offsite adoptions, adoption incentives, and effective marketing, they could increase the number of homes available and replace killing with adoptions. Contrary to conventional wisdom, shelters can adopt their way out of killing.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

6. Pet Retention

While some of the reasons animals are surrendered to shelters are unavoidable, others can be prevented-but only if shelters are willing to work with people to help them solve their problems. Saving animals requires communities to develop innovative strategies for keeping people and their companion animals together. And the more a community sees its shelters as a place to turn for advice and assistance, the easier this job will be.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

7. Medical and Behavior Programs

In order to meet its commitment to a lifesaving guarantee for all savable animals, shelters need to keep animals happy and healthy and keep animals moving through the system. To do this, shelters must put in place comprehensive vaccination, handling, cleaning, socialization, and care policies before animals get sick and rehabilitative efforts for those who come in sick, injured, unweaned, or traumatized.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

8. Public Relations/Community Involvement

Increasing adoptions, maximizing donations, recruiting volunteers and partnering with community agencies comes down to one thing: increasing the shelter's exposure. And that means consistent marketing and public relations. Public relations and marketing are the foundation of all a shelter's activities and their success. To do all these things well, the shelter must be in the public eye.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

9. Volunteers

Volunteers are a dedicated "army of compassion" and the backbone of a successful No Kill effort. There is never enough staff, never enough dollars to hire more staff, and always more needs than paid human resources. That is where volunteers come in and make the difference between success and failure and, for the animals, life and death.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

10. Proactive Redemptions

One of the most overlooked areas for reducing killing in animal control shelters are lost animal reclaims. Sadly, besides having pet owners fill out a lost pet report, very little effort is made in this area of shelter operations. This is unfortunate because doing so-primarily shifting from passive to a more proactive approach-has proven to have a significant impact on lifesaving and allow shelters to return a large percentage of lost animals to their families.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)
 

11. A Compassionate Director

The final element of the No Kill equation is the most important of all, without which all other elements are thwarted-a hard working, compassionate animal control or shelter director not content to regurgitate tired cliches or hide behind the myth of "too many animals, not enough homes." Unfortunately, this one is also oftentimes the hardest one to demand and find.


Rate it:

Comments:


Post your review of Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)

Thank you for submitting your review!

Spread the word!

I just reviewed: Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)

www.nokillnetwork.org
In Massachusetts

Submit a Review
Rehome Your Pet
Report Lost or Found Pet

Comments

Post your comment on Berkshire Humane Society (BHS)

IMPORTANT: This form is only for public comments about the shelter. To contact Berkshire Humane Society (BHS) , please go directly to their website (link on previous page), this form will not send your comment to them.


To post Lost & Found Pets, go here >


To Rehome Your Pet or Adopt, go here >


Comment:



No comments. Be the first!
Post Your Comment
Rehome Your Pet
Report Lost or Found Pet
one

Other noKill Shelters in Massachusetts


x

How Can We Help?

Do you need to find a loving home for your pet?

  • NoKill Network can help you responsibly rehome your pet or a homeless pet you have rescued.

Are you interested in adopting a pet in need?

  • If you are interested in adopting a pet in need, NoKill Network can help you find the perfect companion.

Reporting a Lost or Found Pet? Visit our Lost & Found Portal

x

NoKill Network is the #1 Resource for Animal Lovers. How Can We Help You?

Re-home a Pet See Adoptable Pets