The BrightSide Banner Newsletter - Fall 2019

I Minnie is a loving & busy girl patiently waiting at the shelter for a home. She is great with people, some dogs, and loves life...just look at that smile! Come meet Minnie at BrightSide! .

Fleck is a sweet and social cat looking for a home. Fleck is FIV+, which means she needs to be the only cat or live with other FIV+ cats.

She also needs an indoor only home. She would make a wonderful companion cat! Come meet her at BrightSide. .

BrightSide Banner THE

Focus on fundraising

ISSUE NO. 06 FALL

New board member to lead effort

by Shana Laursen

YOU CAN HELP! Our dogs depend on your donations

My husband and I moved to Bend about a year ago with our four rescued greyhounds. For the prior 14 years I managed a dog rescue on our ranch in Auburn, CA. Over the years, approximately 4,000 sets of paws spent time there. I also raised money for other heart-felt interests including local arts, international wildlife and land conservation. I've joined BrightSide to support the fundraising activities needed to continue providing its excellent community service.

You will be hearing from me about how you can help! If you enjoy pets, the outdoors, socializing, golf, running, etc., you'll find that there will be a BrightSide event right up your alley. Of course, you can also donate from the comfort of your own home! Just visit brightsideanimals.org.

The critical daily care of hundreds of animals is expensive. But BrightSide also needs to make capital expenditures to keep the facility in tip-top shape. Our current capital campaign aims to

2019

We have so far raised $34,000 of the $100,000 we need. Please help us reach our goal. If you would like to donate by credit or debit card, please visit our Safe Kennels page at http://brightsideanimals.org/help-supportour-safe-kennels-project/ .

If you would prefer to send a check, please note Safe Kennels in the memo field. Our mailing address is below. upgrade our deteriorated outdoor dog kennels. The name, Safe Kennels Project, explains the reason for our urgency.

Over the years, the fencing in this area has been pawed apart and repaired repeatedly. The gravel floor makes cleaning up a challenge, reducing the efficiency of staff. Tarps are used for foul weather and need constant maintenance. A solid roof is part of the plan. Allowing the regular

budget to stretch further with CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 increased efficiency is one goal of the Safe Kennels Project.

Thank you for your support!

BRIGHTSIDE ANIMAL CENTER PO BOX 1404 REDMOND, OR 97756

Bring us your holiday party empties!

Last year BrightSide collected more than 1 million bottles and cans! You can drop off your bagged deposit bottles and cans at: Wow! We could surpass that this year, but we need your help to make our goals by the end of the year. If you have cans and bottles • BrightSide shelter, 1355 NE Hemlock, Redmond at home that you’ve been meaning to bring to one of our collection • BrightSide thrfit store, 538 NW 5th, Redmond points, please do it now! If you are an employer, please e-mail • Laurie’s Gentle Grooming, 8392 Hwy 97, Terrebonne thrift@brightsideaniamls.org to request a BrightSide collection can • School District Admin Bldg, 525 E. Cascade, Sisters for your workplace.

• Tumalo Animal Hospital, 19850 5th St., Tumalo • Bend Pet Express, 420 Windy Knolls Dr., Bend Number of Bottles • Eagle Crest recycling center, on Falcon Crest Dr., Redmond and Cans Collected 2018 2019

this summer

Jan.-Sept.

Disease control at the shelter

By Emily Rucker, Kennel Manager

Kitten being treated.

816,991

789,315

BrightSide does its best to make sure all of the animals in our care are healthy prior to adoption and receive adequate medical attention while they are here. Because we are a shelter, we are inherently exposed to infectious diseases. We admit many new animals weekly, the majority of which come to us with little medical history and no vaccinations. All the animals receive an initial medical exam and additional medical monitoring during their stay as necessary.

Regardless, disease happens!

The most common diseases are ringworm in cats and respiratory infections in cats and dogs. BrightSide has a modular to keep the ringworm cats isolated from the main population while they are treated and healing.

This helps insure that the rest of our cats are not exposed to ringworm. We have separate rooms to isolate animals with respiratory infections as well.

We do our best to catch these diseases before the animal has integrated into the whole population but sometimes they may not show signs of illness until later in their stay.

Because of this, we made a change for our cat population this year. BrightSide is wellknown for our free-ranging cats. We love this concept so the cats are still free-ranging but now they are confined to specific rooms. This helps keep any potential disease outbreaks from potentially reaching the whole population. We believe in doing our best to help animals overcome treatable illnesses, while keeping the rest of our animals safe from infection, so they can find their forever homes.

FUNDRAISING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 budget to stretch further with increased efficiency is one goal of the Safe Kennels Project. But, obviously, the main goal of the Safe Kennels Project is to make dogs safe! Currently, chain link wired to frames is tempting for the dogs to unweave and can be climbed. A patchwork of crate

parts and wire are holding them together, but present sharp edges and other dangers. The new fencing will be welded-wire and no-climb by design. Digging under the sharp edges will be stopped with a concrete floor.

Gates that are plumb, with secure locks, will keep the pooches safe and comfortable.

A roof will top it all off!

I have much more to say, but will save the rest for 2020!

3

fun things to do

this season Wild Weenie Wonderland

Weiner dog races, ugly sweater contest, vendors, photos and, of course, beer.

Sat. Nov. 2, 12-3 p.m. at Wild Ride Brew, 332 SW 5th St., Redmond.

Bow Wow Bingo

Every Thursday except Thanksgiving, 6:30 – 8 p.m., at the Seventh Street Brewhouse, 855 SW 7th St., Redmond.

Pet Photos with Santa

Sat. Dec. 14, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the BrightSide shelter, 1355 NE Hemlock, Redmond.

Roy at the lake on one of his many adventures with Jessica.

Below: Roy loves playing in the snow.

Adoption isn’t always easy … but ‘so worth the initial stress’

By Jessica Zacharias About a year ago, my boyfriend turned to me and asked, “So, are we going to get a dog this fall?” It was something we had discussed lightly, but I wasn’t sure that we were ready. We were agreed that if we were going to get a dog, we would be adopting. So I pulled up Brightside Animal Shelter’s website and we took a look.

Right away I saw Roy on the screen. He didn’t seem overly remarkable, but he had a lot of practical things that we were looking for: he was athletic, good with kids, a bigger-sized dog, among other things. Later that week, I went to Brightside to meet him. To my disappointment, I didn’t feel a strong connection with Roy he was preoccupied with scoping out the female dog in the room across the hall, but I still had a gut feeling that felt like he might be the one. I went home and slept on it, and I went back a couple days later and brought him home.

We had no idea what we were in store for. Immediately, Roy jumped up on the record player, crushing it, peed in the hall, and had no idea of what “stay,” “sit,” “lay down” or other commands meant. The next few weeks were a flurry of researching how to train our dog, how to handle his separation anxiety and our own stress. We needed to reset our routine to now include a dog that had been in three different homes in just a year and a half. It was hard, much harder than we expected.

But over time we found our routine, we began to discover his personality, likes and dislikes. He learned that he could

expect us to always come home. We learned that he was a perfect running dog, and it became so much fun to bring him backcountry skiing with with us. We saw that he was protective of our space, but gentle and patient with children. He has become our daily joy. Small walks and playtimes allow us to be present in the moment, and appreciate the small, sweet things in life. I have become less stressed, and in giving Roy the attention he needs, I give myself the attention I need as well.

It has been nearly a year since we adopted him, and I cannot believe how it has flown by! It brings me so much joy to watch him stroll around the house and yard like he belongs there. That connection that I had hoped for on the first day of meeting needed time to develop, and it is still growing. He still has his wild, goofball personality, but has learned to respect our commands.

Things have settled into a very good place, and adopting was so worth the initial stress. I didn’t know I had this well of love inside of me that continues to grow until I had this dog to love. I am incredibly grateful to BrightSide for caring for our doggie until his adoption day, and I am excited to take our big fluffy buddy on many more adventures!

Volunteer spotlight .

Sally Miller and Bruce Jones, Dog Buddies For many, dog walking is the quintessential volunteer experience at BrightSide Animal Center. While there are of course many other tasks and activities that engage those who give their time to BrightSide, including, most importantly, those performed by the many cat lovers, the stable of dog walkers are essentially the public face of BrightSide’s team of volunteers.

Sally with Jane, one of the dogs she walked.

Below, Sally and Bruce out dog walking together on a beautiful fall day.

Sally Miller and Bruce Jones are dogwalker colleagues who have served at the forefront of that team for several years. From their time with the many dogs to the collegiality they share with their fellow dog buddies, it’s been an immeasurably gratifying experience that’s meant the world to them. Maybe it would for you, too?

Sally’s a retired teacher who’s lived in Central Oregon for roughly 50 years. After moving five years ago to Redmond from Madras, where she volunteered at the shelter there, Sally began at BrightSide at a time when volunteers rotated through various volunteer jobs. Sally soon found her niche as a Dog Buddy.

Her energetic commitment to it over the years, by walking dogs a few hours several days each week, earned Sally a nomination for Mud Bay’s FUTY (From Us to You) Festival Volunteer Award of Excellence for 2019, an award that honors animal welfare volunteers throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Interestingly though, Sally’s experience fostering a dog named Frodo perhaps best exemplifies the BrightSide mission. Poor Frodo and Sally struggled with Frodo’s separation anxiety. For three weeks he panicked each time Sally left home. Armed with that knowledge from Sally’s experience, BrightSide’s adoption team went to work searching for an adopter able to provide uninterrupted care to Frodo. And that’s exactly what they found: A family with a house-bound member adopted lucky Frodo. He now spends his nights “up on the bed” with a family member, not alone.

After many years volunteering as a Dog Buddy at BrightSide, Bruce adopted Stormy, his one-eyed-blind dog, three years ago. As Bruce openly acknowledges, he’s unsure where he would be today without Stormy. Before Stormy, Bruce provided foster hospice care for Lady 2, another BrightSide dog,. It was the last year of her life and Bruce was determined to make it the best year of her life. Obviously, Bruce is a caring, kind fellow!

The BrightSide dogs he’s cared for and walked for nearly a decade have helped Bruce through some tough times following the death of his wife. But his experience and expertise with the dogs -- he spends hours with them most days of the week -- obviously benefits them too. His experience also allows BrightSide to better understand each dog, enabling the adoption team to pair them with suitable adopters. BrightSide so appreciates his service.

To find out more ways you can help BrightSide, please contact the front desk at 541-923-0882 or visit www.brightsideanimals.org