Companion Corner: Ollie at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
03:04PM / Wednesday, November 05, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a little dog with big energy waiting for his forever home at the 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.

Ollie is a four-year-old mixed breed that has been at the shelter since September.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Ollie.

"Just very sweet, very, very, very loving lap dog, and also a little adventure buddy. He's very confident and a great, great little buddy," she said.

He was dropped off at the shelter Sept. 30 after he was having a hard time fitting in at his home.

"He was having difficulties fitting in with the family," Olivieri said. "There were some young kids, and he was tending to escape and get out of the house quite a bit, and he would go on daily adventures around the neighborhood, and it was just becoming not very safe for him and a little bit too much for his owner to handle with the young kids as well."

Ollie needs a family who will be patient with him. Older children would be better as he can have a hard time warming up and occasionally likes his space. He enjoys being outside and needs someone who is going to let him explore the outdoors as much as he can.

"Ollie would love a family with, if there are kids, teens and up, he can be a little bit funny about being picked up and body handling. So he needs a family who's very patient and understanding, and once he trusts you, he actually does enjoy being picked up. So a family that would really spend a lot of time with him outside," she said. "He's used to being outside quite a bit, so he loves to use his nose and just follow his nose on 'sniffaris' out in the woods. He would love to go to new locations, different places each week, different hikes, different walks, so that he could really explore with his nose."

He likes the attention and would prefer to be the only dog but he can be in a home with other cats.

"He really likes being doted on and loved and kind of fussed over. He likes to be the center of attention," Olivieri said. "He has lived with a cat before. He had a really good relationship with a cat in the previous home, so he could go to a home with cats. Other dogs, I think he would prefer to be the only dog."

With how much Ollie likes being outside, it is important he keeps up with his vaccines and preventatives.

"I believe he was positive for Lyme disease, which is very common for most dogs. So as long as he keeps up on his flea and tick prevention and his Lyme vaccine, that's going to help protect him and keep him to stay safe, especially since he loves to be outside, he's going to get some ticks on him. So he just needs to stay on top of preventatives and preventative vaccines as well."

Ollie is house broken but has occasionally marked an area. The shelter doesn't think this is a chronic problem because it may be his being in a new area or a one-time thing. Potential adopters could do a trial period with Ollie to see how he behaves.

"He will sometimes mark in a new area. He is potty trained, but he might lift a leg on a couch or something in the home while he's marking his area, his new space," Olivieri said. "There are belly bands. We have some at the shelter we could send him home with, just to discourage that behavior."

Ollie does also guard his food; when he is eating he likes to be left alone to eat.

But Ollie would love to meet someone who will allow him to be on the couch or bed so that he can get in some snuggle time.

"He's a cuddler. He just wants to be with you, probably under those covers. So he's gonna make such a great little companion for someone," she said.

You can visit Ollie at the Berkshire Humane Society and read more about him 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.

Tags: animal shelter, Berkshire Humane Society, dogs,

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

Companion Corner: Princess at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
02:17PM / Wednesday, August 05, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There is an energetic girl waiting to find her new home at the 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.

Princess is a six year old shepherd mix that has been at the shelter for just over a month.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Princess.

"She's very social, very friendly. When you're out walking her, she just wants to go say hi to every single new person. Loves to make new friends. She's a lot of fun. She's very active. She's very spunky. She's very playful, and she's going to need a very very active family who's going to do a lot with her."

But Princess is no stranger to the shelter. She was a puppy five years ago and got adopted quickly, but now she needs a new family to take care of her.

"She was adopted out fairly quickly as a young puppy. She's been in the same home for the past five years. Unfortunately, they were moving out of state somewhere," Olivieri said. "They could not take her with them, so she ended up coming as a return to shelter, and she came back to stay with us."

Princess needs to go to a home as the only animal or with other male dogs that are her size or bigger.

"Her perfect home would be kids eight and up. No cats. No small animals. She has quite a prey drive. She could go to a home with another dog around her size or larger, preferably a male dog. She does a little bit better with male dogs, and she's looking for a home where people are home quite a bit, so that she's not left alone for too long. She has some separation anxiety," Olivieri said.

She also needs a very active home that can let her use her energy every day, as she is very rambunctious. Especially with playing with her favorite toy, the flirt pole.

"She could use a home where people are going to give her a lot of attention and more than just a few walks a day; she's going to need lots of exercise, lots of playtime, lots of mental stimulation," Olivieri said. "She likes to learn, so someone who would be willing to take her to training classes or work on some training with her, as well as hikes, getting out and about, doing new things, different things. She is very athletic. She'd excel at things like agility, some dog sports. Just someone who is really going to want to engage and do a lot of different kinds of activities with her."

Once you let her get her energy out, she is a cuddler who wouldn't mind being held like a baby from time to time.

"She's very sweet. She's very cuddly. She's very affectionate, but she is not a couch potato. She will stay on that couch with you for a little bit, and then she's ready to go off and do something else. So she's very busy. She's very active," Olivieri said. "Once all of her exercise needs are met during the day, she will settle down nicely, and she will want to be right by your side, cuddle with you at night on the couch, sleep with you."

Princess is very healthy but does experience some anxiety and is not fully potty trained and might have the occasional accident.

"She does have a little bit of anxiety, so she is on some medication for it right now," Olivieri said. "So a lot of structure, a lot of outlets, and familiarity, getting used to a new routine and everything is gonna be really good for her. I mean, she's just lovely. Like I said, she's very social. She likes to play with other dogs. She likes to meet new people."

View Full Story