Family Dog School instructor Tricia Phillips, left, and Simone Olivieri, a canine adoption counselor, take Beethoven and Starr for a walk down North Street.

Simone Olivieri, a canine adoption counselor, and Family Dog School instructor Tricia Phillips say the outing is to raise awareness of National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day — and to give Starr and Beethoven a fun outing. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Adoptable pups Beethoven and Starr took a stroll down North Street on Tuesday with hopes of finding forever homes on National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day.

"Pittie smiles" were all around as the 6-year-old siblings sniffed their way down the sidewalk with Berkshire Humane Society staff members. The brindle-coated beauties are cuddle bugs who would like a home — either separate or together — with a comfy couch to lay on and a few good walks a day.

"There are a lot of animals in the shelter right now but there's a lot of dogs," Director of Development and Marketing Nikki Kellogg said.

"People seem to be gravitating towards the cats, there are more cat adoptions so we'd like to get more exposure to the dogs so that people realize that dogs are available for adoption, stop down and see what we have, give a dog a second chance to come home, and just trying to give them exposure and get them out of the shelter for enrichment."

Beethoven, a male, and Starr, a female, are large-sized American pit bull mixes and have been at Berkshire Humane Society since late March. Beethoven could potentially live in a home with another male dog and Starr would do best as the only animal.  

They have lived with children before and could potentially go to a home with kids older than 10.

"They are also good candidates for coming out and bringing everybody and being in this environment away from the shelter because they are so good with people," canine adoption counselor Simone Olivieri said, adding that they have been great with their routine at the shelter.

With a change in diet, their coats have become soft and shiny, the blonder hues highlighted by the sun.

Every day, the lights are dimmed at the facility for an hour and 15 minutes for a nap time when all of the pups are given chew toys and a break from visitors. This has been beneficial for the brother and sister duo.

"The reason is to give them a break so they can rest and nap the same way that toddlers need to nap," Olivieri said.

"It really helps them kind of reset, decompress, and relax.  We have noticed that it really is helping them settle down in their kennels."

When adopting from BHS, dogs come with a variety of pre and post-adoption vaccinations, treatments, and services including spay and neuter surgery, rabies vaccination for puppies over 3 months old, testing for heartworm and other tick-borne diseases, and a microchip.

A free health exam at a local veterinarian and a discounted Manner Level 1 class at Family Dog School are also among the perks. Adoption fees for adult dogs are $275, puppies 8 weeks to 6 months $375, and senior dogs 7 years and older $150.

More information on Starr, Beethoven, and many other dogs can be found here.

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