BrightSide is a high-save shelter dedicated to providing sheltering, placement and prevention services to reduce animal homelessness and unnecessary euthanasia. We believe that every animal that enters through our back receiving door deserves the chance to leave through our front door with a secure future.
Our Mission
Dedicated Staff and Volunteers
We are able to offer our assurance that we will strive to place every animal that comes to us into an adoptive home or into one of our foster homes for rehabilitation or into one of our fospice (foster hospice) homes. So far we have been able to back up our assurances with placement of nearly all of the animals that have come to us.
Through dedicated staff and tremendous volunteer effort who believe in “no kill shelter” principles, we’re proud to have a save rate that is one of the highest in the country (97% for dogs and cats combined, in 2015), with a responsible admissions policy that doesn’t select for the most adoptable. Indeed over half of the animals who arrive at BrightSide enter the shelter as strays, through contracts with the County and City.
BrightSide is a private organization, a 501c3 non-profit. We are a community shelter — we are not municipally funded. We receive no direct city, county or state revenue beyond limited boarding fees for strays, or occasional rescue situations. Nor do we receive funding from the Humane Society of the United States or the Humane Society of Central Oregon. BrightSide’s funding comes from memberships, adoption revenues, grants, donations and income-producing operations such as our recycling programs, thrift store and RV/boat storage service.
While we work hard to have one of the highest save rates of any shelter in the U.S., a dedicated volunteer base helps also ensure one of the lowest costs per animal of any shelter in the state. Our small paid staff works tirelessly for low wages. We make heavy use of invaluable volunteer time. We always look for better ways to purchase all of the supplies needed to take care of our animals, both medically and physically.
OUR PURPOSE: to save the animals that come to us, and to find adoptive forever homes for them.
Every Animal Is Worth Saving
If you, too, believe that high save is important, that each animal is worth saving and deserves our best efforts to find a safe and loving home, donate to BrightSide Animal Center. Donate money, time, goods for our thrift store, or supplies for the animals. Become a Member of BrightSide. As a BrightSide Member, you are showing your support of the high-save philosophy that we have embraced. You are showing that you value the lives of these animals that come through our doors. Without your support, we face reduced services. Let’s not let that happen in this community that cherishes its animals.
