Pet Adoption Center Arriving Soon in the Village

Starting next month, Stone Mountain will get its first pet community center, complete with  an adoption facility, retail store, training classes and grooming services.

The 4,000-square-foot AARF Pet Central will open its doors in mid-March at 6570 James B Rivers Drive near the Village Corner German Restaurant and Bakery in Stone Mountain. Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends, Inc. (AARF), a nonprofit animal rescue organization, raised more than $230,000 in private and corporate donations to purchase and renovate the building, says Susan Leisure, AARF’s (unpaid) executive director, who lives in Stone Mountain.

On Feb. 28, the group will hold a community volunteer day from noon to 4 p.m. to put the finishing touches on the space, including adding landscaping, flooring and light fixtures.

Founded in 2002 by two friends who wanted to end pet overpopulation and help homeless pets, AARF has expanded to include a network of 25 foster homes and 25 regular volunteers. The organization cares for 20 to 25 dogs and 20 to 25 cats at any given time. In 2009, Atlanta Magazine honored AARF as the area’s best animal rescue organization.

Over time, AARF needed a permanent home to accommodate its expanding programs, and Stone Mountain seemed an obvious choice because of the lack of pet services available, Leisure says.

The new facility takes a holistic approach to caring for pets for life. It will include an in-house cat adoption center, where about a dozen cats will be free to explore and crawl on visitors’ laps. Dog adoption events will happen on the weekends, when AARF will open its space to the dogs in its foster network, along with hosting events for DeKalb County shelter animals and other private rescue organizations.

A Kids N Kritters Clubhouse will inform the next generation of pet owners by providing a fun, interactive space with games, books and videos for children. AARF will also use the space to present its dog bite prevention, humane education and pet care programs.

To help support local merchants, the center will offer six-week dog obedience classes using positive reinforcement by PAWS-A-TIVE Results Dog Training in Stone Mountain.The retail store will feature a full range of dog and cat food, collars, flea and tick prevention and locally-made pet treats  to accommodate different income levels. Other services include vaccine and microchip clinics, in-house pet grooming and self-wash dog tubs.

The opening of the facility comes at a critical time, says Leisure. Pets are not immune to the recession, and shelters are bursting at the seams with stray animals and animal cruelty cases.

“When you combine limited economic resources and mounting frustrations, pets are the easiest victims,” she says. Funnybones, a dog daycare and boarding facility in Lilburn, has agreed to sponsor a safe haven room in AARF Pet Central to provide temporary shelter for abused or neglected dogs while they are waiting on foster homes.

Other companies are kicking in as well.  WAG-A-LOT is sponsoring the dog adoption room, Showseason Animal Products in Tucker is sponsoring the dog wash tubs and Lumber Liquidators is donating the flooring. Other donors include the ASPCA, Dream Land Pet Memorial Center in Kennessaw and private individuals who have donated from $5 to several thousand dollars. Some even sponsored tiles with pictures of their pets.

AARF’s latest furry friends are available for viewing at http://www.aarfatlanta.org.  Adoption fees are $225 for dogs and $150 for cats. Potential adopters must complete an application and interview.

If you are interested in participating in AARF’s volunteer day on Feb. 28, e-mail info@aarfatlanta.org.

AARF still has rooms available for corporate sponsorship and welcomes individual donations toward renovation costs. To contribute, visit http://www.aarfatlanta.org/aarfcentral.html.