More Construction Pictures and Updated WIsh List

More Day 1 Construction Pictures!

Please check out our revised wish list below. Thank you to Kappy Bowers and Lumber Liquidators for their recent donations of deck material and flooring!

6 sheets of 3/4 plywood	8 - 2x8x12
2 tubs	2 wall surrounds
300 sq feet of bathroom tile	5 sliding windows
Electric water heater	Deep Freezer
Electric Dryer	Large plastic storage bins
2 Computers (Desktop or Laptop) Mac preferred	Copier
Large garbage cans	Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Sears gift cards
Cement floor sealant	Microwave
Storage shelves	Unused PVC pipe
Dog crates	Cat carriers

Construction has Started!

Construction has started at AARF Pet Central!


This morning, bright and early, the old, rotten deck has started to come down. The industrial oven is coming out. Old, damaged drywall is slowly leaving the building. Each day will bring incredible transformations. Major construction should be finished in less than two weeks, and final cosmetic changes will take just 2-3 weeks after that.

We are anticipating a mid-to-late January opening! Our new community pet center will be filled with cats rescued from county shelters, dogs learning manners and more in our dog training classes, weekend dog adoption days where so many dogs will find new homes, humane education seminars, pet first aid classes, and quality pet products.

But we need your help, now more than ever. We have only raised about half of what we need to finish renovations and get open. We, and our contractor, have faith in you, our family of supporters and animal welfare advocates, to help us reach our goal in the next two weeks. Please consider a donation today, and share your support with your friends and family.

We are counting on you. Hundreds of pets waiting for forever homes are counting on you. Every dollar makes a difference, and I am asking for your help. You can make a difference for pets who need us all.

"Deck the Halls" at AARF Pet Central

Every day, things look different at AARF Pet Central! Thanks to another great volunteer day on Sunday, November 21, even more is painted, most of the damaged peg board is removed from the training/adoption center, and all of the old floor is up. Thanks so much for Chantal, Alissa, Danielle and Aubrey for their hard work on Sunday.

This week, the main entrance room is being transformed. By the end of the week, we'll have a new floor and a check-out counter built by some wonderful volunteers all the way from Indiana! Do you have some carpentry or handy man skills? You too can put your own mark on AARF Pet Central by volunteering the materials and/or labor for a project. We need windows replaced, new lights installed, ledges and perches built in the cat adoption room, and more! Just email us at info@aarfatlanta.org if you'd like to help.

Our contractor is scheduled to start as soon as we can raise the funds to pay for the changes he'll be making. - replacing the rotten and inaccessible entrance stairs and ramp, making the bathroom accessible for all of our guests and creating the dog wash stations. We have raised about 30% of our funds for the construction, so we still need your help.

Want a fun and exciting way to help? Are you headed out for holiday shopping on the biggest shopping day of the year? While you are filling your cart, consider a gift to help us "Deck the Halls" of AARF Pet Central. Check out our modified wish list below. If you'd like to donate a specific item, just let us know and we'll schedule a time for you to come by the building to drop your donation and get a tour. Or you can pick up a Lowe's or Home Depot gift card when you check out, and drop it in the mail. All donations are tax-deductible, and you'll know that you helped us save even more pets through AARF Pet Central.

• 30 -2x10x16 pressure treated lumber
• 8 -2X8X16 pressure treated lumber
• 26-6X6X10 pressure treated lumber
• 20- 2X4X16 pressure treated lumber
• 150- 2X2X12 pressure treated lumber
• 85- 5/4/X6X16 pressure treated decking
• 23-12X48 concrete form tubes
• 14 -1/2X7 lag screws
• 42 bags OF 80 lb concrete
• 45 - 2x4x8
• 6 sheets of 3/4 plywood
• 8 - 2x8x12
• 2 tubs
• 2 wall surrounds
• 300 sq feet of bathroom tile
• 1500 sq feet of Armstrong vinyl tile
• 5 sliding windows

Other items we still need (THANKS to all of those folks who have donated items already!)

• Deep Freezer
• Electric Dryer
• Coffee maker
• Large plastic storage bins
• 2 Computers (Desktop or Laptop) Mac preferred
• Copier
• Power tools
• Hand tools
• Large garbage cans
• Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Sears gift cards
• Cement floor sealant
• Microwave
• Storage shelves
• Unused PVC pipe
• Dog crates
• Cat carriers

AARF Pet Central is Getting a Makeover!

On Sunday, AARF Pet Central started getting a makeover! Louis, Aubrey and Kim showed up on our volunteer work day to help us begin the transition to our new look. Louis and Aubrey spent the afternoon in the fall sunshine, giving the outside of the building a new coat of paint. And Kim spent three hours of backbreaking work, scraping up old, broken tile from the cat adoption room. We can't say thank you enough to these three dedicated volunteers who gave up their Sunday afternoon to help move AARF Pet Central closer to opening.

Are you wishing you hadn't missed out? Don't worry - you can come out this Sunday, November 21, from 1:00 - 4:00 for another volunteer day. Just email Melanie at melanie@aarfatlanta.org to let us know you are coming. Put your mark on the AARF Pet Central!


Thanks for a recent donation from WAG-A-LOT to sponsor the community adoption room, we have reached half of our fundraising goal. Our major renovation phase will begin in the next two weeks, as our contractor will begin work on replacing the rotten deck, adding the dog wash stations, and making our bathroom accessible for all of our visitors. Your donation or tile order form will help us continue to move forward. Remember, all donations are tax deductible, and it's time to plan now for your spring taxes. Download a tile order form here.

Do you own a business and want to leave a lasting legacy? Or would you like to honor a loved one in your life with a naming opportunity in the new center? Corporate tiles start at only $500, and naming opportunities from $1000 - $10,000 are still available. Would you like your business or name to be the first thing everyone sees on their way into AARF Pet Central? Sponsor the new entrance ramp, stairs and deck for only $3500. Learn more about naming opportunities here.

Thanks to 3 Local Sponsors!

I am excited to announce 3 corporate sponsors of AARF Pet Central!

WAG-A-LOT will be joining us as the sponsor of our dog adoption center. We'll be holding adoption days for AARF dogs and inviting other rescue groups to join us in this indoor adoption center. The dogs will be in a safe, climate-controlled space, and we'll have lots of space for potential families to spend time with the dogs at the adoption day. We are so glad to have WAG-A-LOT as our partner in finding more forever homes for dogs!'

Showseason Animal Products, based here in Atlanta, is sponsoring one of our self-wash dog tubs. It's a great match for Showseason and AARF. The great Showseason products will be available at the dog wash stations and in our retail section.

Dream Land Pet Memorial Center will be joining the wall of donor tiles as a corporate sponsor.

We want to say thank you to these three local companies, and we hope others will follow their lead! For information about naming opportunities and corporate donor tiles, visit the AARF Pet Central page here.

AARF Now Has Our Own Place!

On Friday, October 15, at approximately 11:30 am, Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends took a huge step forward.

We closed on our new building at 6570 James B. Rivers Drive in Stone Mountain!




It's an exciting, scary, thrilling adventure so far. When we walked into the building on Friday afternoon, I was overwhelmed with the possibilities. The room that will be the cat adoption center has a "closet" that is really just framed in. When we open it up, we'll be able to almost double the space for adoptable cats! We'll have room for visitors, volunteers and potential adopters to spend time with the cats and help to get them ready for new homes.

I imagined a room full of dogs and their people in the training room, not only teaching and learning commands, but learning how to be a team, increasing the bond between dog and person and decreasing the chance that those dogs will ever leave their homes.

I also imagined that same room full of dogs on the weekends who are looking for their new homes. I can't wait to open up that space for not only AARF adoption days, but for any rescue group that wants an indoor, secure, climate-controlled space for adoption days. No more setting up crates outside in the rain, heat or cold winter wind. No more chasing dogs across the parking lot when someone drops a leash. Instead, comfy couches to snuggle with potential new family members.

Our new AARF Central will offer so much for pets and their people -- adoptions, training, grooming and pet supplies. But the thing that I know is going to make the most difference in what we do are the cats who will move from a county shelter to our cat adoption center, the dogs who will find their new families at our weekend adoption days, and the dogs in danger of ending up at a shelter who find a second chance in our training facility.

For those of you who have already supported AARF Central, I am so grateful and I hope you will be proud of how we use your donation. For those of you who haven't yet joined us in this journey, I hope you will. I invite all of you to our "Fund the Building" Party on Saturday, October 23, from 4:00 - 8:00. Check out the details on Facebook or view the invitation here.

Can't come to the party? Download a pledge form or a donor tile form, or make a donation online. We need you now, more than ever!

Want to donate items to help with renovations? Check out the list, and bring them to the party or schedule a time to drop them off at the building. Item donations are tax-deductible, too.

Wish list:

• Refrigerator/Freezer
• Washer & Dryer
• Coffee maker
• Large plastic storage bins
• 3 Computers (Desktop or Laptop) Mac preferred
• Printers
• Copier
• Fax machine
• Power tools
• Hand tools
• Large garbage cans
• Drywall and drywall supplies
• Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, Sears gift cards
• Cement floor sealant
• Paint brushes, rollers, paint trays (unused)
• Wooden decking and fence material
• Microwave
• Coffee maker
• Toaster oven
• Storage shelves
• Sofa
• Television
• Unused PVC pipe
• Dog crates
• Cat carriers

One Week Later, Less Than 2 Weeks to Go

Last Sunday, I challenged you to a one week challenge. For one week, could you give up coffee, pizza and new fall sweaters if you knew you could save lives instead? Now, it's time to turn in your donations.

Please visit the AARF website today to download a pledge or tile form, or donate online. Don't assume that everyone else will, so you don't need to. So far, only two people have taken the challenge over the last 7 days. You can see how much we need you to make our new pet resource center a reality. Through your donation, we can save and help hundreds of pets a year.

Is it worth it to you? I hope so, because we can't do it without you.

** Check out the new AARF Central design above, done by architect and AARF foster mom, Heather Mewborn. Stay tuned this week for more plans and designs of the AARF Central community pet center.**

One Week Challenge to Save Lives

We are 18 days away from closing on the new AARF Central facility. So far, we have received wonderful feedback about our new pet center. Everyone who hears about AARF Central is excited about the programs and services that we'll be able to offer to Atlanta's pets, both those waiting for homes and those that have already found their families.

But how can we translate those good wishes into help? For the last 8 1/2 years, I have never had to ask more directly for your help. Without you, and I mean all of you, we can't open AARF Central. We can't help more pets escape the euthanasia rooms in shelters. We can't help more dogs come in from the backyard chains and into the house. We can't help more cats find the comforts of a window ledge and a comfy pillow instead of the dangers of dodging cars and having three litters of kittens a year.

I know every one of you cares about the pets in Atlanta that need help. You wouldn't even take the time to read this if you didn't. But now I need you to translate that care and compassion into action. Here's my challenge to you.

For the next week, from today (September 26) to next Sunday (October 3), I am asking you to think about how much a life is worth. Is it worth the $5 fancy coffee? Is it worth the $12 pizza? Is it worth the $40 shoes? In one week, how much can you save to save a life?

• If we can get at least 75 people to think that giving up $100 of take-out food and convenience store soda this week is worth it to save lives for years to come, then we will be able to sign the closing papers and give Atlanta's pets a new place to feel safe.

• If we can find 150 people who think that the life is a pet is worth more than a new pair of shoes or a new fall jacket, we can move in and start renovations.

• And if we can find 400 people who think that pet overpopulation is a problem we can fix, then we can be open by the end of the year, helping pets and their people.

On Sunday, October 3, visit the AARF website to download a pledge form or tile form, write out a check for the amount that you saved this week or donate online, and help us. And if you don't need a full week to decide that a life is worth something to you, there is no need to wait until next week.

I am asking you today to give us one week of coffee, fast food and trips to the mall. Please don't assume that you don't need to donate because someone else will. Because if everyone assumes that, then no one helps. And so far, most people are assuming that someone else will help, so very few have. In return, for that one week, I pledge that we will save pets for weeks, months and years to come. I think it's a fair trade. I hope you do, too.

**I want to say thank you so much to the people pledged their support before we announced the launch of AARF Central. Please visit the AARF Central page to see the people who have already decided that saving lives is worth their investment.**

Inspections complete! Now we need you!

I spent Tuesday morning at our new AARF facility, walking the building several times with all of our inspectors. First up - the Department of Agriculture inspector. Great news from him, as we got a preliminary approval of our plans for the building. Next in - the electrician. The foundation of the electric system is good, but over the years, the folks in the building have spliced, rewired and extended in a haphazard way, so we have a lot of bad wiring to remove and redo. Third in - HVAC. The building has two air conditioners, and both seem to be in good working order. Unfortunately, the heating system is a different story. Since this building has been used mostly as a warehouse, the middle of the building is inefficiently heated, and the back isn't heated at all (or air conditioned). So, HVAC renovations will be a bit more than we anticipated. Finally, plumbing. The existing plumbing is in good working order, and the renovations we need to do for the dog wash stations should be straightforward. So, all in all, not bad news on the inspections.

Now, we need YOU to move forward.

We have had so much positive feedback about our new AARF Central facility. But we need your help to make it a reality. Since announcing the building, we have received less than $200 in new pledges and donations. To finish the renovations and be open by the holidays, we need 400 people to sign up for the smallest donor tile. (If we can get a combination of larger tiles and corporate tiles, we'll need fewer tiles.) Let's start with a goal of 25 donor tiles by October 1. Learn about our donor tiles and download your donor tile form here. What a great way to honor a family member or pet! Give a tile as a birthday or anniversary present. Let us know if the tile is a gift, and we'll send the honoree a card letting him or her know about your generous and lasting gift. Do you have a business? You can help AARF Central get started and have a permanent legacy of your business' generosity for less than the cost of a newspaper ad.

So, please, help us by sending a donor tile form today. If you don't want a tile, you can make a donation online or download a general pledge form here. Every dollar will make a difference in the lives of pets for years to come.

AARF Central is Coming to Stone Mountain!

Just last week, we announced our plans to open an AARF facility. Now, that dream is a reality! We signed the paperwork on Friday to purchase a building in Stone Mountain, just a few blocks from historic Stone Mountain Village. We will close on the building on October 15, and we plan to be open by the holidays. Our new address will be 6570 James B. Rivers Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083.

The city of Stone Mountain is going through a huge face lift. Buildings in the historic district are being restored, and the city is putting in in new brick sidewalks, medians and landscaping. Stone Mountain is being restored to its historic splendor.

AARF Central will be just two blocks from Main Street. For years, the building has been used as a shop and retail center for restored Coca-Cola products. The big glass windows will help us showcase the new AARF pet supply and resource center, where we'll offer a wide variety of pet supplies and advice to pet owners. The AARF cats in the adoption center will have lots of space to climb, stretch and watch the birds in the tree outside the window. The sealed brick floors in a large open room in the middle of the building will offer a wonderful space for training, indoor adoption days and AARF events. We'll also be able to develop our grooming center, Kids N Kritters Clubhouse and self dog wash tubs. This building is absolutely perfect for our new community pet resource center! We will be bringing services to an area that really needs what we will be able to offer.

Now, we need you to help us make AARF Central a reality. With your help, we can help more pets get adopted, help more pets stay in their homes, and help educate pet owners about more humane, healthy and compassionate ways to care for their 4-legged family members. Your pledge of support or tile donation will mean that more pets will find their forever homes and escape the sadness of dying in shelters or on the street. We are tracking our donations on the dog bone on the right. As you can see, we have raised 1/3 of what we need so far, but we need YOU to help us hit our goal.

Read about the new AARF Central facility here. Consider a donation or a tile to honor a family member, friend or beloved pet. We cannot do this without your support.

Meet AARF Central!

Our vision of the AARF Central community pet resource center is a progressive design created to address the full life of a pet. Homeless dogs and cats will begin their second chance in our cat adoption center and at adoption days. They’ll transition to their new homes with help from our training and education programs. We'll offer vaccine and microchip clinics for the pets in the community. The pets' caretakers will consult us for quality pet food and products. Our grooming center will help owners keep their dogs and cats healthy and clean.

We consider our facility as a “pets for life” design. By providing inviting adoption spaces and ongoing post-adoption services, we will help families adopt pets for life, helping to take homeless pets permanently out of the rescue cycle.

Our new facility will include:

Cat Adoption Center: The AARF Central facility will accommodate 10-12 cats at any one time who will be available for adoption. Unlike shelters of the past that “warehoused” as many animals as possible in metal cages and chain-link kennels, our facility will provide a comfortable and home-like setting. The cats in the adoption program will be in behaviors of playing, climbing and socializing. The adoption environment will not only keep the cats healthy and happy during transition into permanent homes less stressful.

Kids N Kritters Clubhouse: The key to changing the way our society treats animals is in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of the next generation of pet owners. We will dedicate an area in AARF Central to be the Kids N Kritters Clubhouse. The Kids N Kritters space will be a fun, interactive, educational space with games, books, and videos for children. We will also utilize this space for presentations on dog bite prevention, humane education, pet care, etc.

Community Adoption Center:We recognize that any pet that finds a home brings us one step closer to our mission of ending pet overpopulation. In the spirit of collaboration, AARF Central will include a community dog adoption center, with 4 permanent kennels and 10-15 mobile crates for use adoption days. AARF will invite other rescue groups to bring dogs for Saturday and Sunday adoption events, providing a safe, indoor, climate controlled location. We will also utilize the space to host vaccine and microchip clinics on a regular basis.

Training: The main reason dogs get returned to rescue groups or abandoned at shelters is because of behavioral issues. Many of these behavioral problems can be easily addressed and corrected through proper, positive training. In cooperation with established trainers, we will offer training classes based on positive training methods to help newly adopted dogs settle in to new homes and address behavior issues that could cause abandonment or surrender.

Retail: It’s no surprise that high-quality food and treats can make a significant impact on the quality and longevity of a pet’s life. AARF Central will include a retail space that offers high-quality pet products at an affordable price. As an additional service to the community, the retail section will include “gently used” pet supplies (crates, cat carriers, bowls, collars, etc.) at discounted prices.

Pet Grooming and Dog Self-Wash: A clean pet is generally a healthier pet. Attention to grooming issues like coat maintenance and flea control are small steps that can greatly improve a pet’s quality of life. We will offer both full-service grooming and self-dog wash tubs at AARF Central.

It's Time for AARF Central!

AARF was founded in April 2002. For the past 8.5 years, we have saved the lives of hundreds of dogs and cats. We have subsidized spay and neuter surgeries through Casper's Fund. We have educated the next generation of pet owners with our Kids N Kritters Program. Through our Silver Paws Program we have made connections between senior pets and senior pet lovers. And have done it all as volunteers.

All of us on the AARF team do the work we do because we care so much about the animals that need us. We would continue to do this work as volunteers forever, if we had to.

But what if we didn't have to? What if, instead of working 40 hours a week at another job and then trying to squeeze our work with AARF in on evenings and weekends, we could devote our entire energy and time to saving the lives of pets who are dying in Atlanta's shelters and streets? What if our mission of creating a world where every pet matters could be our top priority, not something we try to do in our spare time?

The time has come for AARF to move forward. We are launching the AARF Central Campaign to help us secure and renovate a new community pet center. We hope you will join us!