(a) (b) (c)

(a) Alese with her long-time AARF dog, Jackie (b)Alese visits the stand - shown with 2 AARF volunteers, Beverly and Debbie (c) Alese and her sister Faye

Congratulations to Debbie Allan, our volunteer of the year (2007). You helped so many dogs. Debbie fostered dogs, delivered dogs to their fur-ever homes, checked references on applications, was our volunteer coordinator, worked at all our dog stands and even participated and worked at our fundraisers. Again, thank you for all you contributed.

See our writeup in Parent's Magazine February 26, 2008 Writeup on AARF in Parent's magazine

Thanks to Beate Gossett for her donation to help sponsor Smiley, Sandy and Buddy.

Thanks to Jenny Dowdy and her Henrico High School Art class for decorating our AARF van. They did a great job!! Jenny and her husband, Jeff, have adopted 2 AARF dogs, Ross and Josie.

Thanks to Emily Knerr and Carley Whitt for volunteering at the Pet Stand to earn a Girl Scout Badge. They will also be helping at the Santa Paws pictures.

Thank you GE INDUSTRIAL Consultants and the Activities Committee for setting up employee incentive program to help AARF by donating money, collecting needed dog items, and volunteering at our upcoming fundraiser, Santa Paws pictures. They raised over $140.00 last month for us and continue to find additional ways to help us. Thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness.

We would like to thank a special group of women at the ASG OF RICHMOND. They have made hundreds of pillows for our homeless dogs and continue to bring us more. Again thank you so much.

Thank you DARREN AND SARAH LAGE for using your 6th birthday party to collect dog and cat items. Please know that your generosity will help homeless dogs and cats and that we all admire your thoughtfulness. The twins are pictured on the left with one of our junior volunteers, Caitlin.

Thank you CAMILLE MOORE for having a bake sale and donating over $58 to AARF. Please know that your money will be used for helping other homeless animals. Pictured on the left are Fitz (formerly Cameron, an AARF dog) and his person Camille.

Thank you CapitalOne University for donating a truck full of items for our dogs. Donations included dog crates, lots of dog food, bones, toys leashes, collars and other dog items. We appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness in your donations.

Car Wash and Bake Sale Fundraiser July, 2007

AARF held a Car Wash and Bake Sale at the Chesterfield PetSmart in July, 2007. Here are some photos from the event

Dora and her foster mom, Nicole, enjoy the event.

Dorey and her foster mom, Shelley, enjoy the event. Dorey(Daisy) has since been adopted to a wonderful home.

Many volunteers help collect the money for car washes and watching the puppies that were available for adoption.

Mary Ellen, an AARF volunteer, keeps a watchful eye on some of the older puppies.

We had many junior and adult volunteers washing cars, selling bake goods and selling dog treats.

Thank you MATTHEW AND MITCHELL SASSER for using your 10th birthday party to collect donations for homeless dogs. Please know that you have helped a lot of animals and we admire your generosity and thoughtfulness!! Pictured on the left with Allyse, one of our great volunteers.

Thank you Cory for all your hard work over the last several months. Please know we will all miss you when you move out of the state. We hope you find peace and happiness in your new adventure.

Thank you Allison for your donation of over $100, dog food and a tub full of toys for your girl scout badge. Please know that you have helped a lot of animals and we don't often get such a generous person at your age.

Zeus (left)and Roxanne Allan - 2007 Paws in the Park: Gold Sponsor's Dogs.

Melanie (left) and Mitch Turner - 2007 Paws in the Park: Gold Sponsor's Dogs.

Camp Thunderbird YMCA Ice Cream Social (5/7/2007)

AARF participated in the YMCA Ice Cream social/fundraiser. What a beautiful and fun day! Several volunteers (Sharon, Debbie, Nicole, Rick and Shelley) brought some of our puppies and dogs. Below are pictures of the children and the fun they had running and playing with the puppies and adult dogs.

Bella sitting with some of the children that walked and played with her.

Jeffrey enjoyed the day running and playing with several children at the event.

Scout really had a great day. He loves children and they all wanted to walk him.

Hokie was a popular dog at the event. He loved sniffing around and everyone wanted to pet him.

This says it all! A very tired Scout and all his new friends at the end of the Camp Thunderbird event!!

Duke was a pointer-border collie mix adopted out in the summer of 1996. The family later called AARF to return the dog because he needed a hip operation. AARF took Duke back. He stayed in a very special foster home that was able to care for him after both of his hip operations. In addition, he found a great home with Lisa McKay from Q-94. He has made great friends with her other dogs. She just wrote us to tell us how much she love the newest addition to her family.

During the winter of 1996, AARF sought help for Shelby, a one year old, 30 pound black lab mix, who had been diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia. AARF took her to Virginia Tech's Vet School to see if she would be a candidate for a hip replacement operation. But, unfortunately, Shelby was too small. However, she was a great candidate for another operation called FHO that would significantly improve her condition and give her a chance to walk normally. AARF was able to raise enough money through donations for Shelby to have her operation. After the operation, AARF was able to find new adopters who were able to provide her with the much needed love and attention she needed to recover. It was slow going at first, but it wasn't long before Shelby was up and running and jumping, things she couldn't do before! The Shelby Fund was created to help other animals who are having hip dysplasia problems.