Companion Corner: Kash at No Paws Left Behind (Update)

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
03:07PM / Wednesday, February 04, 2026Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It's hard to believe, but playful pup Kash is still looking for his family.

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

Kash is a nearly 2-year-old Labrador mix who has been at No Paws Left Behind since last spring. We first highlighted him in August and he is still at the shelter.

Executive Director Noelle Howland said Kash is a people-dog with a lot of energy.

"He loves people. Sometimes when he meets people at first, he'll bark and jump in the air, he gets very excited. But since the size, that can be a little intimidating at first, but he does great with people, and he's overall a very social, playful dog," she said. "He can just get a little crazy, a little quick. So that's his biggest quirk with his size."

Kash occasionally gets the "zoomies" and would love a home with an area to run around as fast as he can in.

"I would definitely say he should be in a fenced-in yard ... [and] if you're active, too, if you walk a lot," Howland said. "I think he would benefit from a fenced-in yard just because he gets crazy zoomies and he just wants to keep running."

Kash was brought to No Paws Left Behind after his former family had to move. He lived with a smaller animal once before but Howland said it would be better if he went to a home without cats and with older children, since sometimes Kash forgets his size.

"He could possibly go home with other dogs. I would say a female. I would say no cats. He did live with a small animal before, but since he's been here, his prey drive is little ... he gets a little amped over seeing birds and things running past him," she said. "So safety, I would say, no small animals. And then kids, I would say definitely teenagers and up just because of his size."

Kash is neutered and healthy, but he has a sensitive stomach when it comes chicken in his food.

You can request to visit Kash at No Paws Left Behind; read more about him on the shelter's website.

Tags: animal shelter, companion corner, dogs,

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North Adams Councilors to Speak Against Berkshire Gas Rate Hike

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:16PM / Wednesday, February 04, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Public Services Committee is planning a show of force at Thursday's public hearing on rate hikes for Berkshire Gas Co.

The rate increase was raised at its Tuesday meeting, when Chair Peter Breen said "utilities" had been added to the committee's review.

"Because public utilities are controlled by the municipality — the electric, the natural gas, the cable — those are all part of public service," he said, explaining why Council President Ashley Shade had made the change. "We negotiate, we legislate. And a good example right now is on Thursday, there's a public hearing. The Berkshire Gas company wants to raise the rate 21 percent to 27 percent."

The utility is asking to adjust distribution rates to generate $22.2 million, which it anticipates will result in a 21.6 percent rate increase on average. In filings with the state's Department of Public Utilities, Berkshire Gas is estimating up to about $54 a month increase for residential heating and $12 for non-heating customers.

Gov. Maura Healey has stated her opposition to the proposal, calling the rate hike unaffordable for Massachusetts customers.

"This proposed increase in utility bills could not come at a worse time for families and businesses in Western Mass. It's why we took $180 million off electric bills and pushed the utilities to provide immediate relief to gas customers this winter," she said in a statement, referring to the use of state funds to cut heating costs in February and March.

A public hearing was held last week in Greenfield; a virtual hearing is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and an in-person one at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Berkshire Community College.

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