To create a world where every abandoned companion animal has a home, where every lonely person has a companion animal and where children learn to nurture and care.

Description:
Volunteers at ARF remains a cornerstone of the organization. Many volunteers choose to socialize, walk or cuddle our shelter guests but we have volunteer opportunities for adoption counselors, events volunteers, office workers, greeters. Regular volunteer orientations are held at least twice monthly and training is offered for all of the jobs.

ARF saves dogs and cat who have run out of time at public shelters and brings people and animals together to enrich each others lives. ARF strives to create a world where every loving dog and cat has a home, where every lonely person has a companion animal, and where children learn to care.

ARF's state-of-the-art clinic provides spay and neuter surgeries, vaccinations and veterinary care for new arrivals being readied for adoption. In addition, the money generated from the ARF Mart, a second hand store under a different roof, is being used to fund veterinary care at the ARF Clinic for companion animals of seniors and low-income people who qualify. With the capacity to alter thousands of animals a year, ARF's low cost spay/neuter for community members and free spay/neuter for qualifying rescue organizations will help break the cycle of pet overpopulation in the community.

The Learning Center is the first interactive museum ever connected to a private animal adoption center. Through hands on directed play, children learn how to care for animals. They 'adopt' a plush toy dog or cat which they take to the pint-sized veterinary office before going to the miniature store to select the appropriate supplies for their new pet. Only at ARF can they 'Walk in My Paws' on a creative stage where children will experience what it is like to be a dog or a cat in a human world.

ARF's People Connect programs strengthen the human animal bond for the frail and elderly, residents of assisted living centers, teens at juvenile hall, high school students, grade school students and young children.

ARF programs allow people to experience the love, unconditional support and appreciation of dogs and cats.

Unleash the Learning helps children enhance their reading skills by reading stories in the ARF library to trained teams of volunteers and their pets. These non-judgmental teams provide a supportive environment for building self-confidence. The students quickly forget about the listening adult and their self-esteem is boosted by the dog's loving acceptance.

Teaching Loving Care (TLC) helps teens with serious emotional and behavioral problems. The program teaches the teens how to provide care, training and behavior modification for rescued dogs and cats to enhance the animals' adoptability.

ARF's Visiting Animal Program (VAP) brings dogs and cats to the residents of assisted living centers who are no longer able to care for a pet of their own.
The Food Share Program assists long-term pet owners who are having difficulty paying for their pet's food. Safeway has generously donated its Safeway Select brand pet food to be distributed throughout Contra Costa County on a weekly basis.
ARF offers free consulting services for grassroots groups including the basics of animal care, how to increase adoptions, fundraising and more. By sharing literature produced at ARF and information about how ARF started programs, the ARF staff assists people who are starting programs to help animals in their own community.

The ARF Resource Center, sometimes called the hotline, receives hundreds of calls each week from all over the country and provides help, information and referrals to people who need to place animals in good homes, to people who have questions about animals and to people who have a situation with an animal that has them perplexed.

History:
Baseball manager Tony La Russa and his wife, Elaine, founded ARF in 1991 after he rescued a terrified stray cat that ran onto the field during an A's-Yankees game.

Contact person: Gaye McDuff, Volunteer Director, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: 925- 977-9079

Address:

2890 Mitchell Drive Walnut Creek, CA 94598 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.arf.net

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: On Mitchell at driveway   Nearest Bus Stop: On Mitchell at driveway