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 Updated on Schools, Council President Honored With 'Distinction'

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
12:31PM / Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Superintendent Timothy Callahan gives a presentation on the school system at Tuesday's City Council meeting. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council got an update on what's up in the school system and its president was inducted into the mayor's Women's Leadership Hall of Fame.

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey, as the city's first woman mayor, established the Hall of Fame in 2022, during March, Women's History Month, to recognize local women who have had a positive impact on the city. Past inductees have included the council's first woman president Fran Buckley, Gov. Jane Swift and boxing pioneer Gail Grandchamp. 

 

She described President Ashley Shade as a colleague and a friend and a former student. 

 

"Ashley is known not just for her leadership, but for her compassion, her ability to listen, to understand and to stand up for those whose voices are often gone unheard," the mayor said. "She has been a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ plus community and marginalized communities at both the local and national level here in North Adams."

 

Elected in 2021, Shade is the first openly transgender person to hold the role of council president in Massachusetts. She also leads the first-ever woman majority council in the city's history. 

 

The McCann Technical School graduate also has served on boards and commissions, "always working to make our city more inclusive, equitable and welcoming," said the mayor. "Ashley not leads not only with strength, but with a heart, and our community is a much stronger place because of it."

 

Shade, wearing her signature pink suit, was presented with a plaque from the mayor designating her a "woman of distinction."