We are pleased to announce that Shorefront Dog Run is now open! 
ARF-ARF will be stewarding this park in addition to Freeway Dog Run.  We are the only organization in NYC that looks after more than one park.   
To celebrate the opening, we'll be having our annual Canine Ice Cream Social at Shorefront Dog Run; stay tuned for details.

In the meantime, we met with the Parks Dept, and wanted to let everyone know that:
- Agility equipment is arriving and will be installed by the Parks Dept.
- We will be  getting equipment and cleanup items to maintain the park and will be purchasing a banner for the park.
- Water equipment to be provided and tools for water so stay tuned for some weekend fun!
- Signs are ordered and will be installed by the Parks Dept.

We are always looking for dog owners who are willing to help out by taking small responsibilities at both parks and letting us know about things that need to be fixed.  If you're interested, please sign up under the Volunteer section on our donation page.  You can also go there to make a donation to help keep us going!  Donations of all types are appreciated.

Please join us this Saturday, June 25th from 11am - 1pm as we clean up Freeway Dog Park and perform some spring cleaning on our storage container.  We will be doing giveaways and a raffle.  ARF-ARF relies on donations from the public to keep it running as a nonprofit and also for supplies for the upkeep of Freeway Dog Park.  To those who have given this year, we thank you for what you've helped us do.
 
A donation of $100:
- supplies us with one month of bags, or 
-keeps our website and donation system running for one month, or
-pays for our nonprofit mailbox for the year, or
-pays for one month of mosquito magnet maintenance, or
-pays for 4 event permits (without sound permits)

We would love to do more, but can't without funds to keep it going.  We realize that not everyone can make a monetary donation, and appreciate any volunteer time people can give on Saturday.  We thank everyone for their support and hope to see you there!

Thanks again to all who joined us for our first IN PERSON Bark Hall!  It was great to see some old faces and make new acquaintances.  As promised, we're placing the notes from the meeting here and will keep you posted with updates as soon as we have them.  Please do remember, however, that we are all volunteers so we dedicate our time as we are able.  
Items:

• Walkthrough with the Parks Dept: We conducted a walkthrough with the Rockaway Parks Administrator and maintenance leads to make them aware of some problem areas within the park and discuss solutions.  Here is the outcome of our conversation:  1. Signage - Parks will look into installing rules signs inside the smaller areas, and perhaps the middle of the park front fence. 2. Entrance/Exit gates-  Parks will look into paving (preferred) or graveling the areas to keep the dogs from digging and the dipping that's occurring from constant traffic. 3. Waste stations - since there are no more in stock, ARF-ARF will look at ways to fund a couple more.  4. Fencing - old broken dune fencing in the front to be replaced with new fencing.  For the longer term, ARF-ARF will look at ways to fund something longer lasting.  5. Picnic tables- the one in the large area will be moved around for now to keep the holes from getting too big.  The area under the canopy in the agility area will get paved to keep dogs from digging underneath.  Please encourage dog owners to put as much dirt back as possible when they notice their dogs digging holes.  6.  Agility equipment - will be repaired in the agility area.  ARF-ARF will look into funding for a couple of agility type items in the small dog area as well per request.  7. Weeds - weeds will be removed in the tree guards and mosquito trap cages and along the fencing.  8.  Mosquito traps - need to be looked at and parts replenished (e.g tanks) 9. Water pooling in the back of the park - Parks will look into this.  10. Hose connection - Parks will provide access to us.  We will ask Partnerships for Parks if they have hoses/sprinklers for weekend summer fun and fundraiser events.
• Parking at Freeway Dog Park: DOT will be allowing parking along Freeway Dog Park only available during park hours.  This has been in the works for several years, coordinated with the Rockaway Beach Civic Association.  We are thankful for their partnership and continue to keep in touch to find out updates and timelines.
• Events & Fundraisers: Due to changes in Parks budgets and policies, ARF-ARF must now pay for all permits and event insurance.  This requires money that we must fundraise for.  Since ARF-ARF is a registered non-profit organization, there are other ways outside of events that we can fundraise: 1. We are always looking for grants where applicable.  2. Donations can be made through this website (click on the "donate" button at the top).  3. Check with your employer to see if they have donation matching or volunteer grants and programs.  4. If you shop on Amazon, go to "smile.amazon.com" and select "Allied Rockaway Foundation for Animal Recreation and Fitness" as your nonprofit of choice.  5. Stay tuned on this website and on our Facebook page for virtual fundraisers.
• Volunteers: We are looking for a few good volunteers to help ARF-ARF!  Click on the "Donate" button at the top to sign up to be a volunteer.  You will need to sign some waivers saying that you will abide by our policies.  Some of the things we are looking for help with: 1. Park Maintenance Committee: This team will assist by reporting items that need to be fixed and help with cleanup days and overall keeping the park looking neat and clean.  One hour of time per week.  2. Event Volunteers: Help out with planning events and on the day of with event items and fundraisers as needed.  3. Volunteer Opportunities for Students: If you have any students in your life who are looking for community service hours, opportunities are available.  Parents/Guardians will need to sign volunteer agreements and are responsible for supervision.

​If you have any questions, please contact us by selecting "More", then "Contact Us" at the top of this page.  Looking forward to having more pet friendly fun in the future!

Resources: 
Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare Website: ​www1.nyc.gov/site/animalwelfare/index.page

Thank you to Dr. Therese Miranda of ACC NYC for walking us through the importance of spay/neuter, vaccinations, and other pet care topics, and also to Alex Silver of ACC NYC for listing some low cost resources for pet owners in NYC.

Additional Resources:
For assistance, email ACC NYC: CommunityPets@nycacc.org
ACC Community Pets Program: https://www.nycacc.org/services/community-pets-program
ASPCA Services: www.aspca.org/nyc
Low Cost Vet Mobile: www.lowcostvet.org/
Astoria Veterinary Group: www.astoriavet.com/
​The Toby Project: www.tobyproject.org/
Animal Haven's Community Outreach Program: animalhaven.org/about/community-outreach-program/ 
NYC Emergency Management Task Force: NYC COVID-19 Pet Hotline at (877) 204-8821 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily.

Thank you so much to Animal Care Centers of NYC for a wonderful discussion about animal behavior!  Here's the replay for those who missed it.  See below this video for links to the resources that were discussed.

ACC's Behavior Resource flyers:
https://www.nycacc.org/services/BehaviorResources
Doggie language poster is available here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lilita/5652847156/sizes/l/
Cat language poster:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r591fa82pnmm690/AAAsoy9Qdvc5QxfOqLOJMHzRa?dl=0​​
Fear Free Happy Homes:
https://fearfreehappyhomes.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-_Ce_pbZ7wIVxt7ICh0ITANfEAAYASAAEgIQrvD_BwE 
ACC YouTube:
www.youtube.com/c/ACCNYC/videos
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2DFLTokaXebpV_xDgrK2q7VB21asx41Z
“How to Greet a Dog” and other posters from CattleDog Publishing:
https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/free-downloads-posters
Recommended book:
​catbehaviorassociates.com/think-like-a-cat/
Fostering with ACC:
www.nycacc.org/get-involved/foster
Introducing a cat to a dog:
​www.nycacc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Behavior%20Flyers/cat/Introducing%20Cat%20to%20Dog
Introducing a dog to a dog:
www.nycacc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Behavior%20Flyers/Dog%20to%20Dog%20Introductions.pdf