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Sonsini Shelter's Last Animal 'Knight' Seeking a Kingdom of His Own

Knight currently has the shelter to himself.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — As the last animal of Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter, Knight is living more like a king.

The under-2-year-old American pit bull mix has the whole shelter as his palace but longs for a forever home. He has been all over social media and done plenty of meet-and-greets but has yet to find the perfect match.

Shelter Manager Noelle Howland is going to ensure that Knight's story ends well. Though the shelter closed to the public on Friday, she will stay there with the pup until he finds an adopter.

Knight is a perfect gentleman on a leash but his exuberance for life sometimes causes him to get rowdy so he must go to a home without kids under 16. 

"He's not aggressive and that's his thing. He's not trying to be mean. He's just a puppy," Howland explained.

"So whoever takes him home needs to be able to control that and not let it escalate and training. I think with training he will be so good but we can only do so much here."

So far, he knows how to sit, stay, heel, come, and "drop it." He also accepts treats gently and when excited, gets an incredibly photogenic "pitty smile."

Haddad Hyundai is sponsoring Knight's adoption fees and helping with training costs through Noble Paws Canine Training LLC.

More information on Knight can be found here.  The shelter's GoFundMe page can be found here.

Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. 

 

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

 

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

 

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature." 

 

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures. 

 

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis. 

 

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.