PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023.
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data.
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact.
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents.
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Companion Corner: Moose at Berkshire Humane Society
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a chill Labrador retriever mix at the Berkshire Humane Society that's looking a home where he can take long walks and can cuddle afterward.
iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.
Moose is a 5-year-old Lab mix and has been at the shelter for about three weeks. Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Fox.
"He just wants to soak up all the attention, all the pets, all of the love that you have to give. He is just a big mush. Very social, buddy," she said.
He had to come to the shelter after his home situation had to change.
"The young woman who brought him in had him since he was a puppy, and unfortunately, her housing changed, so she was not able to keep him with her anymore," Olivieri said.
Moose is a happy boy who likes moderate exercise. While he does not play with toys aggressively, he loves to nibble on them, but prefers to just hang out with his person.
"He loves to go on walks. He likes to hang out with other dogs. He's pretty chill. He's social. He's not super playful, but he does like the company of other dogs, who are also calm like he is," she said. "But mainly, his favorite thing is just being with people. He wants someone to cuddle with at night, cuddle with on the couch. He's just going to be right by your side, glued to you all the time."
Moose can go home with children ages 10 and older and to one with another chill dog. It is preferred he is in a home and not an apartment as he can be a bit vocal when he is alone.
"He could live with another dog, but no small animals, no cats. And a home where someone is home with him a bit would be really good for him, so that he could spend a lot of time with people," Olivieri said.
Moose is on a special diet for his skin as he has some itchiness caused by allergies.
"He does have what appears to be some kind of skin allergy. He is on medication for that right now as well, and we've been giving him medicated baths. And his hair and coat are growing in nicely, but he did have some patches where there's some hair loss and some definitely some itchiness and irritation in his ears," she said. "But we've given him some ear treatments, and he is on medication right now to help clear that up, and it is looking pretty good."
While Moose can be shy at first but warms up pretty fast once he meets you.
"At first, it does take him not too long, but just a little bit to get used to new people. If he is a little bit uncomfortable with someone, he will bark a little bit, but really, it's just him being a little bit uncertain, and that's kind of how he lets his feelings out. But if you take your time with him and take your time getting to know him, it does not take him long at all to warm right up," she said.
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