I I'm an adventurous and playful 11-monthold orange tabby. I know how to open doors! Pretty clever, huh? I love to be snuggled. I get along with dogs and other cats, so I can fit right in with your family. --CORNELIUS
I was rescued from a puppy mill last year. I'm being fostered by our trainer because I'm still fearful, and I'm making progress. I'm very sweet, but I need a special home. Yours? -- MOLLY .
Dedicated to our mission of high-save sheltering
BrightSide Banner eee ER THE
ISSUE NO. 02
How We Walk Our Talk
FALL 2018
With Atilla, p ersisten ce p aid off He was adopted once but, sadly, retuned to the shelter. It was even harder on him the second time around. But BrightSide would not give up. Then at last…Attila’s perfect family came along. th
Attila arrived at BrightSide on September 7 , 2017. He was surrendered to us with another dog because his owner was facing health problems. Attila was adored by so many at BrightSide, but he struggled finding a home. Shelter life was hard on him, but each day he loved spending time with his favorite walkers, showing off for our trainer, and hoping to win over potential adopters with his goofy & playful spirit. He was adopted once and returned. He finally found his forever home th almost seven months later on April 19 , 2018. Here is what his adopters have to say:
LIVES WE SAVED Charlie, one of 6 seized by the sheriff, is thriving
Charlie arrived at BrightSide on Februray th 26 , 2018 with five other dogs. The five dogs had reportedly been left alone with no food or water in a house for several days. They were seized by the sheriff after multiple requests for welfare checks on the animals. One dog was already dead. The animal control officer said the others would probably have to be put down. Coming to the shelter was difficult for these dogs. We weren’t sure how each one would do in the long run. They were in rough physical and mental shape and they were uncertain and fearful. Charlie upon his arrival at the shelter.
Left: Attila relaxing with his new dad Donn Pollard at home in Redmond.
“We saw Attila online and he looked so sad. I told my husband that we had to go see him. We visited multiple times and brought our other five dogs to visit him, too. We were leaving for a Mexico vacation and did not want our house sitter to have to deal with a new dog getting used to the home, so I asked if I could put a hold on him until the day after we got back. BrightSide agreed to hold Attila. I bought him a new bed so when we brought him home he would have something that smelled like him. Shelter staff made sure Attila had it in CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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Pat Bowling, shelter 'mom' Patricia Bowling has been the Shelter Manager and "Mom" to all living creatures at BrightSide Animal Center since 2016. We asked Pat about her role as Shelter Manager, and what BrightSide means to her. Q. Where are you from, Pat? A. My husband and I raised our three children in the Bay Area before retiring here in 2013. Q. How did you find BrightSide? A. I was looking for a way to contribute to the community and meet people. We were always animal lovers and had all sorts of pets, from the ordinary to frogs, rats, and even a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, but I’d never worked with animals before. I learned BrightSide had a need, so I decided to try it. Five years later, here I am Shelter Manager! Q. What jobs have you had at BrightSide? A. My first position was at the front desk, greeting the public and answering the phone. Eventually I gravitated to bookkeeping and eventually to assisting the former shelter managers as the deputy shelter manager, you could say. say. When When the the Shelter Shelter Manager Manager position opened in 2016, the Board could position opened in 2016, the Board of Directors asked me to do it, and I said yes. Q. What do you do as Shelter Manager? A. A lot of different things! There’s the paperwork: finances, payroll, utilities, human resource issues, city/county/state/federal forms relating to the care of animals, including veterinary services, which we provide every week to the animals we house, as well as spay and neutering services to the community at large. We have 20 employees at the shelter and close to 100 active volunteers who care for the 70 cats and 20-25 dogs that we have at the shelter, on average, at any one time. As you can imagine, that includes a lot of food, cleaning, laundry, and loving. And then, of course, there’s all our work with local government and the public regarding the intake and adoption of our animals. I work on all of these tasks -sometimes in a supervisory role, and sometimes directly filling in to support the staff when they need help. Q. Why do you do all these things? A. Because I’m a mom at heart, and there’s such a need for mothering with the animals.
Pat at the Dog Gone Run in June.
Q. Tell us about your fondest memory or best experience at BrightSide. A. The rescue of 11 dogs from the meat markets in Korea in 2016 energized the Redmond community in ways I hadn’t seen before. I’ll never forget the high school kids who came to the shelter for hours on end to read outside the kennels to socialize these dogs to the human voice. Those kids were a godsend to the dogs. Q. What makes BrightSide a special place for you? A. The commitment we’ve made to these animals...to have the best possible chance for adoption. I treasure the opportunity I’ve had to share my life with the animals and generous people of BrightSide.
To find out more ways you can help BrightSide, please contact the front desk at 541-923-0882 or visit www.brightsideanimals.org
NaMEOWste, see details below.
NNaMEOWste,
6
things to do
this autumn Bark in the Park th If you joined us for BrightSide's 30 anniversary celebration last fall, you know it was fun, so we're repeating it. Food, drink, vendors and adoptable pets. Sat., Sept. 15, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., at Centennial Park in downtown Redmond. Pups on the Patio Fundraiser and adoption event Tues., Sept. 18, 5:30-8:30 p.m. on the patio at Silver Moon Brewing in Bend. NaMEOWste Yoga with cats is fun for all ages and abilities. If you doubt it, check out the story & great photos in the Bulletin: https://www.bendbulletin.com/lifestyle/6461372151/nameowste-combines-cats-and-yoga. Sundays Sept. 23 & Oct. 14, 1-2 p.m., at the shelter (which is closed to regular business on Sundays); $10 suggested donation. Shelter Appreciation Week Nov. 6-10, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., please bring donations of pet food (all kinds) to the BrightSide shelter for our pet food bank that serves the indigent. Black Friday Nov. 23, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., special reduced adoption fees on black pets. Come to the shelter and find a new friend! Redmond Starlight Parade Nov. 24, 5 p.m., kick off the holiday season and cheer BrightSide at this tradition in downtown Redmond.
ATTILA'S STORY...
MANDY'S TRAINING TIPS
Your questions, answered
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 kennel while he was waiting. I missed him every day and felt so bad that he had to stay there for two more weeks but hoped he knew he would be coming home soon.
'Thank God he was at BrightSide ...' The day after we arrived home from our vacation, we went to Brightside to get Attila. Even though he had been at the shelter for seven months he was such a great dog. He got along with all our other dogs and immediately started sleeping each night in the chair next to my husband’s side of the bed. He is a wonderful addition to our family and plays well with everyone and LOVES to go for rides in the car. We walk him almost every day and he seems so appreciative of his forever home with us. Thank you so much to BrightSide for keeping him so healthy and well until we could adopt him. He is a terrific dog and everyone who meets him loves him. Thank God he was at BrightSide because many other shelters wouldn’t have kept him for all that time…and we would have never met and adopted such a wonderful dog.” -- Vicki Pollard, Adopter
BrightSide's dog trainer Mandy Muller responds to your questions about training your dog Mandy with Annie, one of her own well-trained dogs.
Will exercise help solve my dog's problems? While adequate exercise is important for all dogs, it is not a substitute for training and will not solve many behavioral issues. In fact, many people over exercise their dogs in hopes of tiring them out, when they are actually building up their dog's endurance. Instead, focus on adding in mental training activities to their everyday life. Mental stimulation can be just as exhausting as physical exertion.
How can I become a good leader for my dog? Set clear rules and boundaries with your dog from day one so that your dog knows what is allowed and what isn't. Being consistent is important; it is unfair to your dog to all of a sudden change your mind. Don't forget that every dog is different. Figure out what motivates your dog and what they are uncomfortable with. Advocate for them when necessary. It is your job to help them feel safe and to make their life predictable. .
LIVES WE SAVED
Charlie's story… CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 BrightSide had to hold the dogs for almost 3 months for legal purposes. During that time, the staff were the only ones that interacted with the dogs. After some time, they began to settle in and show us what truly loving dogs they were. After they were released to BrightSide, the real transformation began. The dogs began spending lots of time with our volunteers – getting walks, attention, playing, etc. Our trainer also began working with each dog individually. Charlie quickly made friends with everybody and was the perfect training student.
Soon enough, he was one of the easiest dogs to walk at the shelter. He didn’t pull, he was no longer jumping on people, and he was waiting like the perfect gentleman to go through gates/doorways. Not to mention how affectionate he became! We placed the dogs up for adoption and Charlie quickly got some interest. He was adopted once but unfortunately could jump their fence so they returned him the following day. However they chose to adopt one of the other four dogs from this situation and she is thriving in that home.
How much training should I do with my dog every day? Every choice the dog makes and the outcome that follows is teaching your dog what behaviors work (or don't work) for him. So instead of focusing on doing specific training sessions, integrate training into your daily life. Be aware of what your dog is doing at all times. If you cannot watch your dog, put him in a safe area such as a crate. Decide how you want to live with your dog and give consistent, clear feedback. What you allow, you train.
Charlie went back up for adoption…and we waited. While we were waiting, he began making lots of new doggie friends at the shelter and became a play group superstar! On June 23 he was adopted and got 2 wonderful new parents, and 4 new fur siblings. Charlie lounging in bed.
From a life of neglect to his best life ever…we could not ask for a happier ending to Charlie’s journey. -- Emily Rucker, Kennel manager
Volunteer spotlight Appreciation picnic At the picnic at Redmond's Quince Park Aug. 26, volunteer coordinator Erica Psaltis gave "free hugs" to many, including volunteer Gale Blanchard, left; and a good time was had by many volunteers, staff, and board members, below.
Coming in our next issue Roberta Shirley, left, manager of our Bottles & Cans recycling program, and Kari Stuber, right, our thrift store manager, discuss the changes in the program this year that have generated more revenue for BrightSide than ever before.
Bored? Bow Wow Bingo is the answer!
BrightSide Animal Center 1355 NE Hemlock Ave. Redmond, OR 97756 Mailing address: PO Box 1404 Redmond, OR 97756 541-923-0882 brightsideanimals.org
Did you know that we do BowWow Bingo every Thursday evening at Seventh Street Brew House in Redmond?? We play 4 games; 2 games at $1 a card and 2 games at $2 a card; all of the games are 6 cards for the price of 5 (such a deal!!). We start at 6:30 (ish) and usually wrap up around 8:15 pm. Half of the funds collected each game go out for prizes; half of the funds collected go to BrightSide Animal Center. Doesn’t sound like much?? Welllll…… we raised in excess of $14,000 for BrightSide (that also means $14K in prizes!!) last year and are on track to top that this year. ALSO… our friends at Cascade Lakes Brewing (AKA Seventh Street Brew
House) generously donate beer for second prizes and the drawing at the end of the evening. Bring your friends, bring neighbors, bring co-workers; heck, bring folks you don’t even know and liven up your Thursday nights. What’s better than a beer, a burger and BINGO!! BTW, this is NOT yo’ Momma’s Bingo; we have a LOTTA fun!! Also….visit our FaceBook page: BowWow Bingo benefiting BrightSide Animal Center. Mention this article to the caller for a free card!!! -- Louise Kaplan, Volunteer Bingo manager