Companion Corner: Norman at No Paws Left Behind

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — There's a dog at No Paws Left Behind who needs a patient and understanding home.

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

Norman is a one-year-old black mouth cur mix who has been at the shelter since January after animal control found him abandoned at a dog park.

Kennel assistant Rileigh Norcross told us about Norman, who gets nervous around new people.

"When you first meet him, he is a little skittish. He will bark at you, and really doesn't know you, so he gets really nervous and pretty reactive towards new people," she said. "So a slow introduction is definitely needed when he is to meet new people. However, in public, he is OK meeting new people and dogs. He's just very possessive over his territory."

Since Norman can be skittish, he needs owners with experience around dogs and who are willing to meet with him multiple times to establish a connection. He needs an older family that will be in an area with not much noise who won't have young children visiting.

"He needs to be with somebody who's not a first-time dog owner with reactivity. He also needs a home where he is the only animal, preferably no kids in the home, [age] 18-plus. And we also prefer that he's in a very secluded area with little to no traffic, as well as very minimal visitors," said Norcross.

Norman likes to chase birds and go on walks.

"He likes to play with tennis balls, sticks, squeaky toys," she said. "He will literally play with anything you give to him. And he also just loves treats, and he's very food motivated, and he loves our training sessions."

Norman is sensitive to chicken so is on a special diet. He will guard his food so needs to be left alone while he is eating. He also guards his territory, so someone who visits needs to know that. He is on anxiety medication at the shelter, which may need to be continued in a home. 

Shelter manager Noelle Howland said it will take a special someone who is willing to put in the work for him. It is strongly stressed that if someone isn't calm with him, he may react negatively from overstimulation. He isn't well potty-trained and needs someone who will continue training with him outside of a shelter setting.

"We just want to stress that he does need a lot of training in the home, and we would very much like that to be continued," said Howland. "And once he trusts you, and once he understands that you're just here to help him, he will love you and be just the best boy."

If you think Norman is your next best friend, you can contact the shelter or learn more on the website.

North Adams, Pittsfield Mark King Day With Calls for Activism

By Tammy Daniels & Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:01PM / Monday, January 19, 2026

Alÿcia Bacon, community engagement officer for the Berkshire Taconic Foundation, speaks at the MLK service held Price Memorial AME Church in Pittsfield. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Wendy Penner can be found pretty much everywhere: leading local initiatives to address climate change and sustainability, championing public health approaches for substance abuse, and motivating citizens to defend their rights and the rights of others. 

 

That's all when she's not working her day job in public health, or being co-president of Congregation Beth Israel, or chairing the Williamstown COOL Committee, or volunteering on a local board. 

 

"Wendy is deeply committed to the Northern Berkshire community and to the idea of think globally, act locally," said Gabrielle Glasier, master of ceremonies for Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's annual Day of Service. 

 

Her community recognized her efforts with the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award, which is presented to individuals and organizations who have substantially contributed to the Northern Berkshires. The award has been presented by the MLK Committee for 30 years, several times a year at first and at the MLK Day of Service over the past 20 years. 

 

"This event is at heart a celebration of our national and local striving to live up to the ideals of Dr. King and his committed work for racial equality, economic justice, nonviolence and anti-militarism," said Penner. "There is so much I want to say about this community that I love, about how we show up for each other, how we demonstrate community care for those who are struggling, how we support and and celebrate the natural environment that we love and how we understand how important it is that every community member feels deserves to feel valued, seen and uplifted."

 

King's legacy is in peril "as I never could have imagined," she said, noting the accumulation of vast wealth at the top while the bottom 50 percent share only 2.5 percent the country's assets. Even in "safe" Massachusetts, there are people struggling with food and housing, others afraid to leave their homes. 

 

In response, the community has risen to organize and make themselves visible and vocal through groups such as Greylock Together, supporting mutual aid networks, calling representatives, writing cards and letters, and using their privilege to protect vulnerable community members.