Companion Corner: Beauty at Berkshire Humane Society

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a sweet dog waiting for their new home at Berkshire Humane Society.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Beauty is a 5-year-old bulldog mix and has been at the shelter for about a month after she didn't get along with other animals in the home.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Beauty: "Just very sweet, cuddly, but also very energetic, very playful, just a great companion, great, great little buddy."

Beauty is very energetic and loves to go outside and play. She loves to go on walks and is very obedient, is house trained, and she knows some commands.

"She loves to play tug, so she gets very excited. She loves to play fetch. She loves to go on walks, be out in the snow, and then she just food, of course," said Olivieri. "She loves snacks, loves working for food. And she also just really enjoys touch, companionship, petting, love. She just wants to be right here with you once all of her physical needs are met."

Beauty must be the only animal in the house as she has a prey drive for cats and does not like to live with other dogs. But Beauty is good to greet other dogs when she is on the leash. She also must go home with older kids.

"She doesn't want to share her humans with other dogs in the house or her belongings. She wants all the attention so no other dogs in the home. And for kids, if there's kids in the home, we're saying teenagers and up. Couple reasons, first of all, she can be a little bit nervous and shy and skittish with a lot of quick movements, young kids kind of move differently than adults, and that can make her cautious and a little scared," she said.  "And also, when she starts to play with her tug toys, she can get a little grabby with those teeth."

Beauty is perfectly healthy but may need some attention for her sensitive skin.

"She's got some sensitive skin, so she has some thinning hair on her back here, so she might need some extra vet visits for some skincare, medicated baths, fish oil, some supplements to kind of keep her coat nice and shiny and healthy and thick," Olivieri said. 

Beauty can be nervous around people at first and has shown some nervousness to men. But with patience she can warm right up to you.

"We have noticed with some people, like I said, with kids, but sometimes with men or strangers, she can be a little bit nervous at first," she said. "So she is a little cautious and careful around she might shy away from people she doesn't really know, so but it really does not take very long to earn her trust. You just have to be patient."

You can visit Beauty at the Berkshire Humane Society and read more about her on the website.

The Berkshire Humane Society is open Tuesday through Sunday. The adoption center is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:35AM / Saturday, June 13, 2026

The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park. 

Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue. 

The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting. 

A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court. 

Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition. 

"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said. 

Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey. 

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use. 

"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.