John Perreault, Berkshire Humane Society’s Executive Director, will celebrated 40 years working for the Pittsfield animal shelter on Wednesday, October 9th. Perreault began working for the Berkshire Branch of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals on October 9th 1984, and stayed on when the MSPCA closed the branch for financial reasons in 1992. He helped transition the shelter to Berkshire Humane Society, a community-based nonprofit, becoming the organization’s executive director in 1997.
Berkshire Humane Society’s shelter began in the basement of a cowbarn on Cadwell Road. Perreault remembers sitting on railroad ties next to the old shelter with an adoptable dog, “and only one or two visitors would come by – and that was on a Saturday!” he said. “Knowing where we started and the conditions we worked in, the progress we’ve made in 40 years is awesome,” he added.
Berkshire Humane Society now owns three buildings, the Dr. John Reynolds Adoption and Education Center and Wellness Clinic, both in Pittsfield, and Purradise feline adoption and boarding facility in Great Barrington. The nonprofit also runs two Catwalk Boutique stores, women’s clothing resale shops in Great Barrington and Lenox and has an operating budget of over 3 million dollars.
“I know it’s cliché and I say it all the time, but it takes a village,” said Perreault. “It’s all about relationships. I’ve surrounded myself with great people in the community who want to support a great cause. We have something special here and are able to attract generous and compassionate donors and retain dedicated employees and volunteers. We have a board of directors who supports changing our trajectory to help more animals.”
Perreault is a native of Methuen, Massachusetts. After a visit to his local shelter in 1983, he was hooked. “The second I walked in, I knew wanted to work at a shelter and help animals. It wasn’t about money.” After 40 years wearing many hats from front-line animal caretaker to executive director, he says, “Nothing has changed. I love getting up every day to go to work. Each day is different. No one’s getting rich here, but my life is so much richer in other ways.”
Staying at one facility for many years is not typical in the animal welfare profession. “People jump around in our field,” Perreault said. “In the 80s and 90s, the average time someone worked [at a given shelter] was 8 months. With four decades of work, Perreault has seen results of his efforts that others miss. Children who sat in his humane education classes are now adults and Perreault believes they are more responsible, not leaving dogs tied up outside all day and spaying and neutering their pets.
Throughout the years Perreault has been proud that Berkshire Humane Society has kept its doors open to everyone who needs services and looks at the big picture of animal welfare, always keeping the context of community at the forefront. “We’ve always looked at the gaps and where we can help,” he said.
Now entering his fifth decade at Berkshire Humane Society, Perreault is hopeful. He knows what the nonprofit has done and what it is capable of doing. “There’s still a lot to do here,” he said. “We want to pay off our mortgages and expand our services to northern and southern Berkshire County. “My job is not done here,” he concluded.