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.

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