Berkshire Humane Society

Jonesy Bones

2024-04

This review is for the training courses offered through Berkshire Humane. They are so thorough and engaging and really give so much wonderful one-on-one time as needed. Even experienced dog owners can learn so much from these classes, it really helped us to socialize and bond with our new adoptees.

Danielle Plankey

2024-04

Terrible service here. In the middle of viewing a dog the dog was taken out of the room with no explanation and they attempted to sway my partner and I into getting an older bigger dog or a husky. We were denied the pit bull we were originally looking at due to us living in an apartment (that is filled with pit bulls by the way). That he would be too energetic for an apartment. But they harassed me (calling me four times in a 30min time frame), to take the husky. Now tell me how a high maintenance, hyper dog like a husky belongs in an apartment, but not a pit bull? Mind you we had a Belgian Malinois prior at this apartment. Don’t go to this animal shelter if you yourself plan on choosing your pup, they seem to try and choose for you here.

Elise Zvirzdin

2021-05

Really nice place. Friendly staff, clean and modern facilities.We got a wonderful black cat from here, who we have name General Grog the Vole Slayer.He's perfect for our family and we are so happy to have him! ❤️

hello fran

2024-03

The older lady was very rude and snotty and unkind in the food pantry .when you have a high bill for one animal and the other animal need stuff .I thought that's what the pantry for. I take care of my animals as much I can the c,/d dry and wet is expensive. Plus try to pay off his big bill .I am totally upset I was treated like that

Tahira Broome

2024-04

If I could give zero stars I would. Absolutely the most inhumane place to drop your dogs off at or just any animal in general. Dealing with them has been the most horrible and most stressful experience ever. I beg whomever feels the need to drop an animal off to seriously look for other options. Because here they’re probably going to euthanize your pet at the slightest inconvenience.

April Hilburn

2024-01

All of the animals seemed happy and well taken care of. They have dogs, cats, and a small animal section where you might find bunnies 🐰 and guinea pigs for adoption.Its definitely a great place to donate to! They accept any unopened pet food or items and use as emergency assistance for families needing help with pet care.

Laura Bykowski

2023-05

We adopted King (now Kingston) from Berkshire Humane's satellite cat facility Purradise in Great Barrington after sending our orange cat Moses Supposes over the rainbow bridge. Kingston has been such a joy to us! He loves to sleep in the sunshine, in his cat bed, one paw out, and in bed with us :-) We specifically wanted an older cat or one who had been overlooked. BHS staff said King had been at Purradise for over a year because he had asthma and folks didn't want a cat with problems. The Berkshire Humane staff was friendly, knowledgeable and took the time to find the right cat "purrsonality" to match our family. And to his asthma, he has not had an attack since he came home with us over 5 years ago. Give the older cats a chance! We are happy we did.

Jessica Cossin

2023-09

I had completed my application before going, to streamline the process. I heard back very quickly. I had also emailed the office regarding a particular cat, if you use complete sentences, ask questions that are important, and these volunteers are in short supply. I've been a volunteer working with kids when I was younger; trust me, if you waste their time, it's not going to be a good look for you in the end.Jen was the lucky one that got to call me about my cat inquiry & my application, I have to say she was incredibly knowledgeable & super friendly! The BHS had an event for the month of July due to overcrowding & an high, where if you made an adoption, they gave you $100 towards the adoption fees.I got lucky with a great employee named Bry, who helped me find the right cats. All of the single cats had been adopted, and I had the space for a pair, so why not give them a 2nd chance. Bry was fantastic at answering questions, making sure the cats & I were compatible, and letting me know that 1 kitty had a medical test needing completion. Thankfully when everything was done later in the week, she was there to facilitate our going home. I was grateful for all of her help & knowledge. She is genuinely someone who cares for these cats & that they get their forever homes. Thank you Bry, you're def a special person, and will forever be in our hearts! We renamed our pair of sassy sisters, Tempest & Siren (L to R).

Donna Yelle Nelson

2023-09

Our pup is attending family beginners' manners class here. The staff who run the classes are very friendly and knowledgeable about all of the areas of training. They clearly explain and then demonstrate the skill being taught, so it is very easy to replicate with your own pet in the class. They offer advice and encouragement to both the owners and the pet. They are all upbeat and seem to love what they do. The facility is very clean. This class has been really helpful to us in helping to understand our pet and also getting her to walk better on her leash. My dog loves to go, too. The reinforcement for the training is food and praise based. My husband and I will be attending more classes there with our pets for sure.

Billy Tinkle

2023-06

We were in and out of Berkshire Humane Society many times over the winter looking for the perfect dog to adopt, and the people here are awesome. They were patient with us and always kind and just all around great. We ended up adopting a puppy and they have been incredibly helpful and supportive! Absolutely recommend this place!

Constance Leon

2023-08

Fell in love with Luna at first sight 💕The staff, and Stacey especially, was amazing. We found our new family member!!

Holly Benzenhafer

2023-05

The staff are wonderful and good you through the whole process of finding the best animal companion without any pressure. They truly care about their animals and want to ensure they go to great homes to have good and loving lives.It's a nicely designed facility, impeccably clean and welcoming. I'm grateful to have found my next cat there.

Collene Doney

2019-05

Out of 20 SPCAs we've been to( all of which are really not crazy about sending dogs home with you in for have toddlers or cats) this SPCA actually realized a good home. We adopted a dog who's breed is usually not recommended with kids or cats but, they let us meet him anyways to see how he would react. So, so glad they did because now we have our forever fur baby. We got him in February and it's April and we couldn't be happier. So thankful for this SPCA. Clean facility. Well maintained. Greaaaat staff. Huge shout out!

Jack Strack

2024-01

Great environment for finding your next family addition. Friendly, caring, knowledgeable staff.

Dorothy Allen

2023-07

I have just adopted 2 puppies from there and they're both and really good health and people down. There are very nice and helpful you can see the puppies. You can hold them very clean I would recommend this place to anybody

naki doshu

2023-05

The staff are fantastic about walking you through every step of the process. I am impressed by how much they put the animal's care and comfort at the forefront. They work hard to make sure each adoption is perfect, not only for the people, but for the animal as well.

Lazlow

2023-05

The Berkshire Humane Society is incredible. They rescue animals from all over, including from kill shelters in the South. We adopted a dog that they rescued in Tennessee and transported to the Berkshires. The staff is wonderful and facilities are meticulously cleaned every day. If you are looking to adopt, need training advice, or have a family member who, due to an illness, can't take care of an animal, contact the BHS. They even have a new vet facility where you can get vaccines and other care for a fraction of the price.

stuart courtney

2024-03

Very good care had my rabbits nails done

Bob King

2023-05

Apparently this place will not let you adopt a dog unless you raise and train it THEIR WAY. They tell me that if I let my dog out without a leash, then a fox might come and get it. When was the last time anyone has heard of this happening? This place is a joke. I threw my application in the trash. So sad. A beautiful dog could have had a wonderful forever home.

Alison Woods

2023-06

Very clean. The staff is so friendly and helpful. They all seem to have a genuine love for the animals under their care. Process is smooth and so many additional services available.

Lexi Tessman

2023-11

I can’t say enough about the people who run this facility. They care so deeply about the animals who come through their doors and take incredible care of them.

Lily Pandell

2023-05

The people are so knowledgeable and helpful. They really care about the animals by rescuing strays or abandoned animals, spay/neuter clinics and many more ways. If you are looking for a cat, dog or small animal, stop in and speak with them. They will help you find the right pet for you.

Michael Lawrence

2023-05

Taking one year old border collie for obedience lessons. The training staff is so professional and caring. This, in turn facilitates learning. BHS has such a great mission which needs everyone's support.

Rebecca Bartholf

2023-05

Heard from another shelter that this shelter euthanizes cats who have issues with urination because they are “unadoptable” without keeping the animal long enough to make sure that they actually have an issue with urination, checking for a chip, or having the cat seen by a vet to see if it can be treated. A five year old innocent cat was killed this way recently. Stay away from this place!!!

Cass Lee

2023-05

After their recent decision to euthanize a cat without first verifying it was the actual owner who brought the cat in (it wasn’t), not checking for a microchip (which the cat had), and then making the decisions to euthanize a 5-year-old cat based on the information provided by the not owner, I cannot in good conscience ever recommend Berkshire Humane Society to anyone.#justiceforpandaTo address some of what Berkshire has replied to below in their response (as a former volunteer of the rescue that panda was adopted out of)1. The “extreme behavioral issue” in question with Panda was peeing outside of the litter box.2. Whiskers (from which panda was adopted from) offers medical and behavioral support for any cat that has been adopted from the shelter. If there had been any previous veterinary assistance sought out by panda’s adopters, whiskers was not made aware of it and could have offered assistance.3. “If the owners clearly did everything” - the owner wasn’t even the one present when panda was brought in. And how is it known that the owners did everything? Was panda ever checked for a UTI? We’re any tests run? It doesn’t appear so by Berkshire.4. As for the microchip - every Whiskers cat when adopted is microchipped with the owner as the primary contact but with Whiskers listed as the second contact and that cannot be changed. It is locked. If Berkshire had taken two minutes to scan Panda’s chip, they would have seen this and known to contact Whiskers.5. The comments that were removed were not slanderous in nature. They were stating exactly what had happened with Panda - that Berkshire displayed gross negligence towards the care of a young animal that had a lot of life left to live.

Felicity May

2023-05

This shelter euthanized a healthy cat without scanning the microchip and ensuring the person who brought it in was the owner. The reason for euthanizing this cat was because it supposedly peed in the house. I'm so very ashamed of this shelter. You are supposed to help animals not just kill them without any cause. I will never support this shelter after hearing about this situation because it doesn't seem like they care about animals at all.

Brittany Klein

2020-05

Great place, love that they do the 100 cats for Christmas special for fixing cats. I have 10 myself so being able to get the 6 adults fixed so easily was so incredibly helpful because they’d already produced two litters. The people here were kind and were fast about getting my cats in for their fixings and also about getting them to the vet office once we dropped them off. They were very quickly loaded up and taken to the Pittsfield vet clinic and were there in good time for us to pick up later that day.

Jessie Wilkinson

2023-05

Seriously euthanized a cat for a urination problem. And from what I read they didn't even bother to look into anything and just euthanized it. The levels of unprofessionalism is unreal and quite disgusting to be honest. "We are deeply saddened by the negative effect this has caused all involved." Nah. They aren't. They are even blocking those and deleting comments on their other pages that are concerned about this issue.

James Cassin

2023-05

They just killed a healthy cat because owner *claimed* he was peeing. They *immediately* jumped to euthanasia without confirming the ownership of the cat or scanning for a microchip. If they had done their jobs and scanned for the microchip, they would’ve seen that the shelter the cat was adopted from, Whiskers, has a 100% return policy and would’ve happily taken the cat back, “unadoptable” or not. Whiskers cats all go home with Whiskers as a secondary contact on their microchip, and it is *impossible* to change. This was no honest mistake, it was pure negligence and now they are deleting all Facebook comments about it trying to save face. Panda should be at Whiskers being loved on by volunteers, but because of the absolute disgraces to the name of animal rescue at Berkshire, he is dead. Do not let them get away with this. Justice for Panda.Edit for the nonsense copy-pasted “sorry we’re not sorry” PR statement: AS I ALREADY SAID, all cats adopted and chipped through Whiskers have Whiskers as the secondary owner. It is IMPOSSIBLE for them to have scanned the chip and not seen that. Nor was the woman who brought the cat in EVEN THE ACTUAL LEGAL OWNER. Furthermore, a “socially conscious shelter” would not kill an animal without making sure that the issue truly could not be resolved. I understand that, due to lack of resources, not all shelters can be strictly no-kill. That is a tragic but unavoidable part of animal rescue. HOWEVER, that doesn’t make it okay to just write off an animal as “unadoptable” especially when there was another shelter that would’ve GLADY taken Panda back if they had been appropriately notified as per the adoption contract. That isn’t “socially conscious,” it is straight up NEGLIGENT.

Laura Conway

2023-05

A person who was NOT the owner of Panda brought him across state lines and insisted he be euthanized at Berkshire Humane Society, a self-described "socially conscious shelter". Staff could not be bothered to scan Panda's microchip which shows he came from Whiskers as well as the fact the person registered as Owner Contact was NOT the person surrendering him. You people have no right to say you are deeply saddened by the "negative effect this has caused". The volunteers at Whiskers are heartbroken by Panda's tragic death and sickened by what you did. #justiceforpanda