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The Berkshire Humane Society has received grant funding to cover hundreds of spay and neuter operations for cats and dogs at its wellness clinic.

Berkshire Humane Society Receives $100,000 in Grants

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
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The shelter gets calls from pet owners who want to do right by their cats and dogs but can't afford the cost for health care and neutering. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Berkshire Humane Society recently secured $100,000 in grants to help care for underserved dogs and cats.

The largest grant of $75,000 is from the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation to help support Berkshire Humane's medical program that covers some 500 underserved animals in the county.

This grant will help to spay and neuter hundreds of dogs and cats for those who can't afford to pay the entire fee. Clients of the Pet Food Pantry will have priority for the spay and neuters for up to 300 cats and 50 male and 50 female dogs. The cost varies dependent on the size and breed of the pet. This grant will also help 50 more clients receive subsidized wellness exams, tests, and vaccines.

Lastly the shelter will be able to hold free rabies vaccine and microchip clinics for dogs and cats on Thursday, May 1, from 4 to 6 p.m. in Adams at 86 Summer St.

Executive Director John Perrault said the shelter has gotten calls from pet owners who say they are unable to afford these types of procedures for their pets, so he hopes these grants help many.

"We're able to help subsidize what they can't afford to hopefully get all these people that want to have their dog or cat spayed or neutered, realizing for the health benefits for the general population," he said. "It's the best thing to do for their animal but they just don't have the money."

The second grant is from the Massachusetts Animal Coalition Pet Play Grant program, which awarded Berkshire Humane $15,000. This will also help those in the community with subsidized spay and neuters for 25 dogs at the Pet Food Bank as well as 50 community cats.

And the third grant was $10,000 from Benson's Pet Center through its Benson CARES program to help provide more low-cost spay and neuter surgeries to 20 cats and 20 dogs, with rabies vaccinations and microchips if needed.

"When we opened the clinic we knew that there was a huge need. We needed to support our local veterinarians who are already overwhelmed, so our local veterinarians are overwhelmed and there's a lot of people that just can't get in." Perrault said about opening the wellness clinic. Even then, some people are saying the cost was too much for them.

The Berkshire Humane Society opened a wellness clinic in 2023 to provide affordable and accessible preventative and urgent care vet services to help the community and local veterinarians.

"We thought we were doing great things but realized when we got up and running that there were so many more people that needed even more than what we could offer, so these subsidies will help us reach even more people," Perrault said.

Perrault also sees how important it is for people to be able to have these affordable options for their pets who are already in a loving and good home.

"By spaying and neutering them, vaccinating them, keeping them healthy, those animals will stay healthier with the goal of keeping them in their home and out of our shelter," he said.

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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