BrightSide Banner Newsletter - Winter 2019

I JACKSON is friendly with everyone and loves to have his belly rubbed. Although he has a fun-loving personality, he lacks impulse control and will need an owner that can keep up with his training.

PARKER is as sweet as pie...she just needs a little bit of time to get to know you. She loves pets and attention and has a docile and shy disposition. .

Newsletter of the BrightSide Animal Center, Redmond, OR

BrightSide Banner eee ER THE

Working together:

A man and his service dog

Pat Madden, with Seamus by his side, can be found on weekends sorting through cans and bottles.

Ever since Barb Stinson and Roberta Shirley began collecting cans and bottles to th raise money for BrightSide – the program marks its 10 anniversary in January – Pat Madden, with his service dogs Gypsy and Seamus, has assisted them, first

Pat, left, with his black service dog Seamus, visits with Fred Olson, director of Pals with Paws, and his dog, Hugo.

ISSUE NO. 03 WINTER 2019

WHERE SHOULD OUR NEXT TRAILER GO? Let us know!

In the 10 years since Barb, soon joined

by Roberta, started our recycling program, the number of our collection trailers around Central Oregon has grown. The deposit fee doubled in 2018, so now the program is more valuable than ever. We are scouting new trailer locations to expand in 2019. If you can suggest a location, email us at thrift@brightsideanimals.org.

Wondering if there's a BrightSide trailer near you? Check our complete list of locations at http://brightsideanimals.org/services/canand-bottle-recycling.

Barb, left, and Roberta at work. as a volunteer and now as an employee. Pat’s remarkable long-term commitment, and that of Barb, Roberta and the other volunteers over the years who've participated, has been a huge benefit to BrightSide. The funds raised CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Dinah, my 'fospice' cat

By Janet Stevens, The Bulletin | Reprinted with permission My daughter Mary and I have added a new member to our household.

Her name is Dinah. She’s not a family member, at least not officially.

She’s a cat from the Brightside Animal Center in Redmond, and I’m her foster host. She came home with us about four months ago, when I finally decided I can’t live without a cat around the house. Her predecessor, Chuck, died in midJanuary 2018.

Dinah’s no kitten. The shelter listed her age at more than 20 years old, and while I agree that she’s aging, I’m not sure she’s as old as that.

True, she has thyroid problems, a common ailment in old cats, but her kidneys seem to be functioning well.

Chronic kidney failure is a leading cause of death in aged cats, in my limited experience. It can be treated, if both owner and cat are willing, by giving the cat fluids under the skin, and while three of my last four cats tolerated the process well, that wouldn’t have been the case with Chuck.

Dinah’s vision and hearing are also still good, and she doesn’t seem to have arthritis. She’s more than willing to jump onto or off the bed each day. Her appetite is good.

In fact, her appetite is so good that when she’s lying down, she looks like a pillow. I have her on a diet, and I think she’s losing weight, but slowly. A medium-sized cat needs about 210 calories per day, and, with help from my veterinarian, I’m feeding her about 200 calories daily.

We have a way to go.

As is often the case with animals from a shelter, I don’t know much about Dinah’s past. I believe she had been owned by a single family for years, and when they were unable to care for her any longer, she came to Brightside, a high-save shelter that places more than 95 percent of the cats She’s a funny old gal. She’s a calico — orange, black and white — and true to the folklore about calico and tortoiseshell cats, she can be downright temperamental and feisty, so much so that she’s earned a not very polite nickname. She hisses when she’s upset, and she upsets easily.

Calico, by the way, is Dinah’s color, not her breed. As with most cats I’ve had, she’s a good old American cat, heritage unknown. Calicos and tortoiseshells (calicos without the

SPAY-GHETTI, SEE DETAILS BELOW

white) are nearly always females. It apparently takes two X chromosomes to create calicos and torties, and while males of those colors are born occasionally, they’re almost always sterile.

It’s taken Dinah time to adjust to life at our house. She finally came out from behind the chair in my presence when she’d been home for days, and of course the first thing she met was my poodle, Zeppo. It wasn’t a happy occasion.

Now, however, things seem to have settled down. She’s moved from the chair to the bed in my room, and she comes downstairs to remind me that it’s dinnertime or just to hang out. Unlike any other cat I’ve ever had, she’s perfectly willing to roll over and let me stroke her stomach, making biscuits in the air while I do so. She’s not shy about asking for attention, and she has one of the loudest purrs I’ve ever heard. I guess that offsets her “speaking” voice, which, unlike the purr, is generally nearly silent.

What she won’t do is get on my lap. The folks at Brightside had said she didn’t like to sit on laps, but deep down I thought that would change as she acclimated. It hasn’t. I may try bribing her, but I suspect her dislike of laps is stronger than her love of kitty treats. We’ll see.

I don’t know how long Dinah will live, but she’ll stay with me for the duration. I chose an older cat intentionally — the thought of an old animal dying in a shelter really bothers me. Meanwhile, we’ve each agreed that the other is OK, or even better than OK. For me, that’s the way it should be with a cat.

3 this winter 4

things to do

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Happy MEW Year!

January is adopt-a-cat month, with adoption fees reduced to just $30 for any cat through Jan. 31. In addition, each day the featured Cat of the Day is available for only $20. Check our Facebook page to see each day's featured cat.

Try NeMeowste cat yoga That's right, yoga with cats. It's fun and has proven so popular we're doing it regularly. Next session is Sunday Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. at the shelter, 1355 NE Hemlock in Redmond.

Spay-ghetti Fundraiser Dinner March 16, 5-8 p.m. at the Juniper Golf Course in Redmond. This year we're changing it up!

Come dressed to the K9s for our red-carpet theme. Silent auction, dessert auction, raffle and gift card frenzy. Get tickets ($40) at http://brightsideanimals.org/events/red-carpetspayghetti-fundraiser-dinner/

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

BELLA'S STORY:

PAT AND SEAMUS annually have increased exponentially every year. We expect even more in 2019.

Pat is a long-time resident of Redmond who has been afflicted by seizures for many decades. In 2001, Pat joined with a service dog named Gypsy, who gave him companionship and assistance with Pat’s health struggle. The peace and improved health Gypsy brought to Pat’s life for the next decade inspired Pat to engage with Redmond-based Pals with Paws (palswithpawsadvocates.com) that helps individuals across America acquire service and therapy dogs. Through his association with Pals with Paws, and his experience with Gypsy, Pat learned the value of these trained dogs.

Now, with his current service dog Seamus, Pat spreads this knowledge to young people at school events and 4H Fairs in Central Oregon, teaching them to respect the critical service the dogs provide for their disabled owners.

For Pat, this service means that his companion Seamus alerts him to imminent seizures, places his warm paws on Pat’s lap as he sits to brace himself, and licks Pat’s face once the seizure begins. Pat says the positive effect Gypsy and Seamus have had on his life is inestimable. As the good folks at Pets with Paws say, it’s “The Power of the Paw.” To honor this love and devotion, it only seems right to Pat that he and Seamus serve together raising funds for BrightSide Animal Center, which seeks to protect the wonderful dogs and cats that are companions for all of us.

-- Chris Pearson, board member

Good training pays off When Bella first came to the shelter, she was out of control. But months of hard work later, she got the Christmas present every shelter dog dreams of.

Bella arrived at BrightSide in January 2018 as a stray and was never claimed by her owner. Although Bella is as sweet as they come, it was clear she needed further training to be the best dog she could be. During Bella’s initial weeks at the shelter, she was so frantic and wild in her kennel that she couldn’t easily be walked by many of our volunteers. She pulled so hard on the leash that she was difficult to control. And Bella was so rambunctious in the play yard that she’d try to knock people over. Not good!

BrightSide's then-trainer Mandy came to the rescue.

She began a training program with Bella that produced results almost immediately.

Mandy worked with Bella almost daily last winter until Bella’s new skills allowed the volunteers to assume Bella’s training. With this attention and focused training from the BrightSide team, Bella became an entirely different dog by the spring. She had learned to walk politely on a leash and to wait patiently at doorways and gates.

Although Bella is still energetic, these learned skills allow her to remain calm. As a result, she stays controlled in her kennel, walks easily with the volunteers, politely greets adults and kids, and is composed in the play yard. Even after months in the shelter, Bella remained affectionate, playful, and she displayed a real zest

buoyant, Now, we couldn't be happier for her.

--Emily Rucker, kennel mgr.

Bella went home with her new family just before Christmas after 324 days in the shelter.

HAPPY TOGETHER:

Winky & Superman

Outgoing cats now 'greeters' at grooming facility in Sisters We recently adopted two cats from BrightSide Animal Center. This was our first trip to BrightSide. What a TREAT we were in for!

It was SO amazing to be able to interact with the cats and see them moving freely throughout the facility. We were looking for a cat for our grooming shop. We needed an outgoing, friendly, and confident kitty. All of the volunteers there were super helpful and friendly. Allen, a volunteer, was helping us that day. His advice was perfect: He steered us towards the cats that were “out and about”

cats that were “out and about” cruising the hallways, as opposed to the more quiet and introverted cats. We had a hard time deciding on a new companion, so we decided to go with the buddy system and adopted two!

Our two new cats Winky and Superman keep us entertained all day at Groomingdales in Sisters. The employees love to play with the cats, and customers stop by just to get their “cat fix.” Winky and Superman are stellar

ambassadors that truly make you smile.

--Cathy & Sam Warner, adopters

WINKY

SUPERMAN

Volunteer spotlight: Team Tito's

BrightSide loves businesses that lend their employees to perform volunteer work. When Tito's Vodka of Austin, Texas, brought 33 employees for three hours, here's what they accomplished at the shelter:

• Sanded and repainted, as well as fixed the hardware on, the cat octagons.

• Cleaned and organized our food bank room, and took a load down to the thrift store.

• Power-washed the trim in preparation for painting.

• Re-striped parking lot and painted yellow areas to direct people to the receiving department.

• Scrubbed dogloos, sanitized and raked gravel in the dog pavilion.

• Weeded, and laid memorial bricks in a walkway.

And they did it all with a smile!

Plus, they paid for all the materials!

Whether coworkers, neighbors, family or friends: IT'S ALL ABOUT TEAMWORK!

.

While volunteering together is a great team-building activity for a large team of business colleagues, it's also a great way for a small group of neighbors, alumni, family, friends or club members to have fun together and feel good about what they've done. Many groups do this on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 21, to honor Dr. King. To learn how for your group could help BrightSide -- whether for a couple of hours or all day, on whatever day -- please contact volunteer coordinator Erica Psaltis at volunteer@brightsideanimals.org or 541-923-0882.

For a list of other projects seeking volunteers specifically on MLK Day, see http://www.volunteercentraloregon.org/aem/general/event/?doc_id=5253.

-- Erica Psaltis, volunteer coordinator

BrightSide pays off County loan BRIGHTSIDE ANIMAL CENTER 1355 NE HEMLOCK AVE. REDMOND, OR 97756

SHELTER OPENS ON SUNDAYS BrightSide Animal Center will be open for adoptions on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., beginning Jan. 13, 2019. BrightSide's hours Tuesday through Saturday will continue to be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"Saturday is one of the busiest days of the week for adoptions," said Shelter Manager Patricia Bowling. "Weekends are when most families have more time for family activities like choosing a pet. So we believe Sunday also could be a busy day for adoptions. That would enable us to find homes for more pets more quickly."

By Mark Crose, board president It has been another positive year for Brightside Animal Center and I wanted to briefly touch on a momentous occasion for us.

As many of you know, our facility here in Redmond was built back in 2004 with the help of a large loan from Deschutes County. The loan, approximately $1.7 million, was secured with an endowment from one of our supporters who had passed away about the same time.

The Alice P. Teeter Trust was set up to gift income from a business to both Humane Society of Central Oregon and,

as we were known then, Humane Society of Redmond. This money was scheduled to be dispersed in five-year increments until 2024. Included in the Trust was a parcel of land here in Redmond that would be sold at the appropriate time as determined by the Trustee of the Trust, with the proceeds to be shared equally by BrightSide and HSCO. The business portion of the Trust was sold several years ago so the Trust was not developing income any longer and so was slowly decreasing its total value. The Board at what is now BrightSide went to the Trustee and suggested that since the Trust was growing smaller each year it might be a good time to sell the land, close the Trust and disperse all of the assets

disperse all of the assets to the two entities. After the three parties met and negotiated an agreement, the land here in Redmond was sold this past year.

With BrightSide's portion of the money, we were able to pay off Deschutes County and put some money into a longterm capital improvement fund.

We are very happy with our coordination with Humane Society of Central Oregon, the estate Trustee and the Deschutes County Commissioners to bring us to this point where we are now debt-free and able to move forward with a more secure future. However, we still need to raise more than $1 million per year to operate the shelter. We rely on your generous contributions to give the animals of Central Oregon that opportunity to find their forever homes.