BrightSide Animal Center is a high-save shelter where dogs stay until they find the proper home. Deschutes County helped the center build a new location in 2017, though the purchase put the nonprofit in debt for years.

When the Lab and border collie mix named Cash came to BrightSide Animal Center last winter, he was so scared that staff members had to take his crate apart to get him out. Even after that, shy and wary Cash could hardly be coaxed out of his pen.

The 2-year-old dog clearly had been subjected to bad treatment by a previous owner or owners and had some resulting issues. It became BrightSide’s mission to turn Cash into a confident, fun-loving dog ready for a permanent home.

That’s when Tahni Arndt entered the picture. She was hired in January to work 25 hours a week as a canine trainer, a job the 26-year-old still holds.

Cash became her first success story.

“I didn’t last more than two weeks before adopting him,” Arndt recalled with a grin. “I fell in love with him.”

And Cash responded to her cautious first steps to connect with him. Just as with other stray or abandoned dogs with behavior problems, Arndt built a level of trust first.

“Sometimes you just sit in the kennel and read stories to them,” she said. “You can see progress just by a dog coming up and sniffing.”

Now Cash is a volunteer himself, accompanying his owner during socialization sessions called “play groups” with other BrightSide dogs. Arndt explained that dogs can have “stranger danger issues” stemming from their past. They might show their teeth and growl because they’re afraid.

“We want to help them learn that not all people are bad,” Arndt said. “It’s great seeing them come out of their shell and be dogs again.”

She doesn’t rehabilitate the dogs all by herself, though. Dozens of volunteer dog-walkers from the Redmond area regularly take the pooches out on a leash for exercise. Also, some dogs need to learn the fundamentals of walking on a leash.

“I depend a lot on the walking buddies,” Arndt said.

Everyone at BrightSide celebrated a big event recently when a dog that had been at the center for 230 days was adopted. Petey, a pitbull mix, had become a favorite at BrightSide, although he presented a challenge early on.

“We weren’t sure how he’d be with other dogs,” Arndt said, “but he turned out to be a gentleman. He was another play group success story.”

BrightSide is what’s called a high-save shelter. Dogs aren’t put down simply because they haven’t been adopted. In the past, adoptions have taken up to 505 days — for a male named Frankie. Roxie spent 395 days at the center and Nolan spent 315 days there before finding his home.

BrightSide adoption coordinator Jaymie Friesner said that almost 1,200 dogs and cats have been adopted since Aug. 1, 2016.

One of the past adoptions, Kella, is now serving in the Homeland Security and Emergency Services New York Task Force in Albany, New York. Kella and trainer Brian Girard are pictured on a poster at BrightSide.

Last April, eight dogs from a suspected puppy mill were rescued from the Spokane area and housed at BrightSide. It took a month before those dogs were even ready to be walked.

“They need experienced owners,” Arndt said, adding that center officials do a thorough investigation before allowing adoptions to take place. “It’s almost like a job interview.”

Shelter manager Pat Bowling chuckled at that characterization, and added her own spin, saying it’s like trying to adopt a child. Rigorous screening is needed to make sure the dog and home are compatible, she said.

Bowling said BrightSide has had the paid trainer position for many years, although it was vacant for a few months before Arndt was hired. The manager said Arndt brought a wealth of skills to the center.

“She set up the play groups, which have been just great,” Bowling said. “She instituted that and it’s been very successful. She’s also wonderful at training the kennel staff.”

That includes writing an evaluation of every dog’s progress and latest developments each week, and emailing it to kennel workers. She notes such things as whether a particular dog is mouthy, or might have a habit of jumping and nipping.

Bowling didn’t hesitate when asked if the training program is worth the expense to improve dogs’ behavior.

“Ten-fold,” she replied. “A lot of the dogs wouldn’t be able to be shown (to prospective adopters) without it.”

Arndt grew up in a family that always adopted dogs. The Tacoma, Washington, native lived in Utah before moving to Redmond, and had the knowledge — and the heart — for the BrightSide job. She’s particularly happy about the high-save approach.

“We keep them as long as we can, until they find their home,” Arndt said. “All our staff and volunteers have so much love for animals.”

That isn’t confined to dogs and cats. BrightSide has also been the temporary home for a few reptiles in the past.

“It doesn’t matter who comes through our doors, we give them love,” Arndt said.

Without being asked, she recited her favorite quote: “My sunshine doesn’t come from the skies. It comes from the love in my dog’s eyes.”

She seems a perfect match for her job, and, being around Cash now, it’s hard to imagine him having been shy and skittish. They make a good team, and Arndt acknowledges she gets much in return from her work.

“I see their progress from terrified to happy, and it’s very rewarding,” she said.