East Side Pride Volunteers at AARF Pet Central!

We want to send out a huge thank you to the volunteers from East Side Pride, who chose AARF for their annual Harvey Milk Day of Service this year. On May 22, 11 volunteers (and AARF volunteers Kim, Colleen and Joe) spent 5 hours working at AARF Pet Central.

East Side Pride Harvey Milk Day of Service AARF Pet Central May 22, 2011

Break In at AARF Pet Central

Break In at Pet Shelter / Community Pet Center

Renovations Halted, Opening Delayed

STONE MOUNTAIN, GEORGIA - May 7, 2011 - Just a month before renovations at AARF Pet Central should be completed, thieves have broken in and stolen critical tools, computer equipment, fixtures and pet supplies. As a result, renovations at the new community pet center in Stone Mountain have come to a standstill, delaying the opening of this desperately needed shelter, adoption, training, retail and education location. The rescue group opening the facility, Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF), is hoping to be able to afford to replace the stolen items with help from the Atlanta community.

Says AARF Director Susan Leisure, "We are devastated by this theft. We have been renovating for several months and were hoping to be open by early June. Once we are open, we will be able to help homeless pets find new homes and serve as a resource for pet owners who may be struggling to keep their pets." With the county shelters overflowing, this new resource will be a welcome addition to Atlanta's animal welfare community. "I was just at the DeKalb County shelter today, and I know how how many pets are waiting for rescue," explains Leisure. "Now, I don't know when we'll be able to open our doors." According to Leisure, the renovation budget has been exhausted by unexpected repairs and delays in construction. AARF has no extra funds to replace the stolen items.

The 4,000 square foot facility in Stone Mountain Village will have a cat adoption center, offer dog adoption days and training classes on the weekends, host humane education classes and offer pet supplies at affordable prices.

For more information about AARF and their new community pet center, AARF Pet Central, visit the AARF website at http://www.aarfatlanta.org. Details about AARF Pet Central are available at http://aarfcentral.blogspot.com/.

Donations to help AARF replace the stolen items can be made online at the organization's website or mailed to AARF, 6570 James B. Rivers Dr, Stone Mountain, GA 30083. Email AARF at info@aarfatlanta.org or call 678-534-3483 with any questions about AARF Pet Central or donations.

Big Changes at AARF Pet Central!

Melanie in the mulch!

What a difference the mulch makes!

Big changes happened at AARF Pet Central this weekend! Thanks to Daniel, Mike, Melanie and Debbie, who spent all afternoon spreading mulch under and around the deck and ramp. Thanks to Kim and Brooke who worked on flooring all day!

Special thanks go out to Eric, who installed all of our lights, smoke detectors and exit signs this weekend. What a difference a fresh coat of ceiling paint and softer lights make! We hope the dogs in the training classes

New lights

and at adoption days will enjoy this lighting much better than the humming fluorescent lights.

Fred just installed the first climbing shelf in the cat adoption room.

And more special thanks to Elizabeth and Fred for designing and renovating

the cat adoption room. The cats are going to have one swanky pad to stay in while they wait for their forever homes.

Come to the next Volunteer Day at AARF Pet Central from 12:00 - 4:00 on Sunday, May 15! Don't miss out on your chance to be part of renovating our new community pet center. Email Melanie to RSVP if you can come.

Want to help with a specific item at AARF Pet Central? Check our our needs for this week's renovations - a door for the cat room and two fire extinguishers. Click here for more information or to help out this week.

Do you have an extra lawnmower or weed eater? We need a basic lawnmower and weed eater to help keep the green spaces at AARF Pet Central under control!

Check out our latest wish list below!

• Lawnmower
• Weed Eater
• Electric water heater
• Deep Freezer
• Electric Clothes Dryer
• Large Copier
• Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Ikea gift cards
• Cement floor sealant
• Storage shelves
• Dog crates

Affordable Glass and Mirror is Donating Windows for the Cat Adoption Room!

This big pile of mulch is just waiting for volunteers to help spread it out!

Are you looking for something to do this Sunday, May 1? Come to the Volunteer Day at AARF Pet Central from 12:00 - 4:00! We'll be putting together shelves, working on landscaping, and more! We'll have something for everyone of every skill level. Email Melanie to RSVP if you can come. If you can't come, but will still like to help, we need shovels, rakes and a few wheelbarrows to use on Sunday.

Do you have an extra lawnmower or weed eater? We need a basic lawnmower and weed eater to help keep the green spaces at AARF Pet Central under control!

We want to say a big thank you to Affordable Glass and Mirror for their donation of windows for the cat adoption room! Thanks to Laura and Randy for helping us get closer to finishing our cat adoption room!

Do you have your donor tile yet? Are you or your company interested in one of the

The new flooring (donated from Lumber Liquidators) looks great!

remaining naming opportunities? Learn more about how you can help here.

Check out our latest wish list below!

• Lawnmower
• Weed Eater
• Electric water heater
• Deep Freezer
• Electric Clothes Dryer
• Large Copier
• Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Ikea gift cards
• Cement floor sealant
• Storage shelves
• Dog crates

Update on AARF Pet Central

I want to give you all an update on the progress of renovations at AARF Pet Central. We had hoped to be open by now, but issues in fundraising and construction have delayed completion of the renovations. It has been difficult to divert unrestricted funds toward our building renovations, as the pets in our adoption and Silver Paws Program always take priority over renovations. We are incredibly grateful for your support so far, and I am humbly asking for your continued support, as we are so close to being open. For just a small amount more, we can be open and helping hundreds of homeless pets find new homes.

First, some of the good news --

1) A generous donor paid for the materials for the new deck and walkway, making our entry to the building safe and fully ADA compliant. We will have no access issues with anyone coming to our building.
2) Major renovations to the dog training / adoption day room, cat adoption room, retail space and office are completed. The self-dog wash tubs are also installed and tiling is almost complete.
3) We have all of the flooring for the office and front retail space, thanks to a donation from Lumber Liquidators.
4) With the help of volunteers, 70% of the exterior painting is done, and 95% of the interior painting is done.
5) We have raised 85% of our fundraising goal - leaving only $9000 needed to completely finish renovations and open! That's just 90 more donor tiles, or only 18 more corporate donors! (Info on donor tiles is at http://www.aarfatlanta.org/aarfcentral_tiles.html)

Here's what we have left to do. For each of these items, we are trying to find professionals that will donate or discount their services.

1) Finish painting the exterior that we can't reach.
2) Finish the ADA bathroom - flooring, new sink, painting.
3) Install windows in the cat room - we have a quote of $600 for all windows. We are trying to find a cheaper option, but this is the best deal we have so far.
4) Install flooring in the cat room and finish the climbing shelves and other components for the cats.
5) Stain and seal the concrete floor in the dog training / dog adoption room.
6) Purchase and install an electric dryer
7) Dog kennel room - We may have to open AARF Pet Central without the dog kennel space ready to accept dogs. We hate to delay this part of our services, but we don't currently have the budget to finish the space, which means we won't be able to save dogs at our new facility yet.
8) Landscape the exterior - Unfortunately, our contractor left a big mess! We need to do some renovations to the exterior landscaping to create a safe and inviting environment.
9) We need a plumber to help us find an open sewer vent from one bathroom. Unfortunately, it makes our building not smell so great.

We still have several naming opportunities available, if you or your company are interested in leaving a lasting legacy for homeless pets. This is a great way to help us reach our 100% goal and let all of our visitors know of your commitment to helping homeless pets.

Cat Adoption Room..........................

.......$10,000
Community Adoption Center....WAG-A-LOT
Dog Training Center.................Private Pledge Confirmed
Front Deck................................Private Pledge Confirmed
Kids N Kritters Clubhouse.........................$3,000
Storefront/Retail Center..............................$2,500
Director’s Office.........................................$1,000
Dog Adoption Room................Funnybones for Dogs
Self Baths (2)...........................Private Pledge Confirmed, Showseason Animal Products
Exterior Landscaping.................................$1000

For those of you that haven't yet seen the new facility, I invite you to stop by and see how things are progressing. We'll be working all day on Saturday, April 16, so stop by for a look. If you are interested in one of the remaining naming opportunities, of if you or your company would like to volunteer time, materials or money to helping us complete our renovations, please let me know,

I want to thank you all again for your support of our mission to help homeless pets in Atlanta, and to create a world where every pet matters.

83% of Our Goal!

With your help, we have reached 83% of our goal! We are so close to completing renovations at AARF Pet Central, and opening our doors to help Atlanta's pets! The shelters are overflowing with kittens and as soon as we are open, we can save at least 15 of these little ones from euthanasia! Here are three of the kittens we are able to save this week - they are joining the crew at Camp Kitty. Imagine 15 more of these tiny little faces at AARF Pet Central!


We have a waiting list of dogs and their families ready to start training. Behavior issues are the #1 reason that dogs are surrendered to shelters. With just a little training, we can help keep these dogs in their homes and out of the shelters.

We need your help to finish AARF Pet Central! If we can get just 100 more people to get a donor tile, we'll be able to finish! If you haven't already gotten your donor tile, please consider it today. Learn more about our donor tiles here.

Do you have a special construction skill or are you a weekend handyman? We are looking for a plumber, landscaper and painter to help us with the final touches at AARF Pet Central. We also need a carpenter who is interested in helping us finish the cat adoption room. If you own a business that specializes in one of these trades, please consider donating a day of your time, and we'll make sure we tell everyone about your generosity! Email us if you can help out. Do you have your donor tile yet? Are you or your company interested in one of the remaining naming opportunities? Learn more about how you can help here.

And check out our latest wish list below!

• Electric water heater
• Deep Freezer
• Electric Clothes Dryer
• Large Copier
• Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Ikea gift cards
• Cement floor sealant
• Storage shelves
• Dog crates
  

Funnybones Joins AARF Pet Central

Funnybones in Lilburn is the newest sponsor of AARF Pet Central! Funnybones will help us create a safe haven at AARF Pet Central for dogs who need immediate placement as a result of injury or cruelty and need to bypass the county shelter. The Funnybones Safe Haven will provide space for 4 dogs at AARF Pet Central while they wait for foster home placement.

At Funnybones, dogs have 5,000 sq ft of indoor/outdoor play space at their disposal - and they have the freedom to use it as they choose: play, bark, explore, slobber, dig, fetch. Safe dog toys, agility equipment, healthy treats and nap time round out the day play experience! Dogs staying overnight retire to spacious, individual pens where they enjoy all the comforts of home: food, fresh water - even

Funnybones is fun for dogs!

turndown treats!

Funnybones joins our other corporate sponsors: WAG-A-LOT, Showseason Animal Products, Dreamland Pet Memorial, and Lumber Liquidators. AARF Pet Central is also supported by a grant from the ASPCA!

We want to give a big Paws Up to Lisa, Alyssa, Kim, Lee, Laurel, Aubrey and Lennox, who volunteered this past weekend to help at AARF Pet Central. And special thanks to Lisa, who brought us some tasty snacks!

This Saturday and Sunday (January 29 and 30), we'll be working from 12:00 - 4:00 at AARF Pet Central. We need help painting, tiling, landscaping, hanging lights and more. Here's a chance to show off your plumbing skills, too - we still need to install one new toilet! No matter what your skill and experience level, we can use your help.

Be sure to email Melanie at melanie@aarfatlanta.org to RSVP for either or both days. Let us know if you have a special skill or a special request about what you'd like to do.

Want to donate to our AARF Pet Central Wish List? Check out the updated list below:

• 1/2 inch plywood
• Lots of drywall
• Electric water heater
• Deep Freezer
• Electric Clothes Dryer
• Copier
• Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Sears gift cards
• Cement floor sealant
• Microwave
• Storage shelves
• Unused PVC pipe
• Dog crates
• Anyone with landscaping expertise