Meet Rex, an adorable Staffie/Terrier mix. Poor Rex’s owner was deployed and had no one to take care of this energetic boy. Rex is only 6-12 months old, energetic, active and super friendly. He is a very good boy in his kennel at the shelter but instantly perks up once outside.

He is big and strong and does need some leash and general manners. He did very well in his dog meets and even ignored a dog who was not being very nice to Rex during their meet. He is very playful, loves fetch and toys. He may be a big boy but he’s still very much puppy at heart with typical puppy behaviors.

He showed no interest in cats during cat test but can be re-tested upon a request. Are you looking for your new best bud? Rex will definitely steal your heart! More photos of Rex can be found here.

This dog is located at 111 West Hunting Park Ave in Philadelphia and is available for adoption or foster care (dog meet dog required; kids under 13 must meet and no kids under 6). Adoption hours are 1-8 Monday through Friday and 10-5 on weekends. If you are interested in foster care, the hours are 9-6 seven days per week. For more information about ACCT please visit www.acctphilly.org or go directly to the shelter.

Data Garden, a group of artists that brought The Switched-On Garden, a bio-interactive art and live outdoor musical festival to Bartram’s Garden in October 2011, is working on putting together another outdoor event this year. Over 700 people of all ages and backgrounds got to enjoy The Switched-On Garden, which, according to Data Garden co-founder Joe Patitucci, was a truly transformative day and the biggest event ever to take place at Bartram’s Garden (check out the video here).

For 2012 Data Garden wants to expand the event and increase the ways people can engage with the environment and history of Bartram’s. Same as last year, Data Garden wants the event to be free of charge and accessible to everyone. To get funding to make this event possible for a second year, they launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign. Additional funds will also allow them to attract and compensate some amazing artists from the US and beyond.

“One thing that we proved last year was that people really enjoy the type of events we produce and find it really refreshing,” Patitucci says. The event was covered by Inhabitat, MTV Brasil, the Philadelphia Inquirer and even Vice Magazine’s music blog among others.

Unfortunately, Data Garden hasn’t reached its funding goal yet and there are only five days left in this campaign. This project will only be funded if at least $7,000 is pledged by Tuesday, April 24 (11:59 p.m.). Click here to donate and help this project.

Mariposa Food Co-op celebrates its new store at 4824 Baltimore Avenue with a Grand Opening ceremony, and a day of food, special sales & sampling, and fun for the whole family this Saturday, April 21. The ceremony will feature Congressman Chaka Fattah and other special guests.

Mariposa has been open to the public for shopping in its new location at 4824 Baltimore Avenue since March 17, and the response has been great. “Since our initial opening, we’ve had 151 new members join, bringing our member count to over 1,300,” says Mariposa’s Marketing and Outreach Coordinator Chakka Reeves. “This event is our way of thanking the many people and organizations who made our expansion possible.”

During the ceremony, Fattah will talk about the National Cooperative Development Act, legislation that calls for increased support for cooperative businesses to encourage economic growth and job creation. Mariposa expansion, Reeves says, “has created eight new jobs and leveraged $2.5 million into the local economy.”

The Grand Opening ceremony will take place from 11-11:45 a.m. The special sales and samples will be throughout the day and there will also be an opportunity to sign up to become Mariposa Food Co-op members. For more information on how to join Mariposa, call 215-729-2121 or go to http://www.mariposa.coop/join.

We launched our Forum a few weeks ago and everyone is welcome to read and post. Registration is required for posting, but it’s a very quick and easy process.

Is there something West Philly-related on your mind that you want to discuss with others? Any raves or rants? Want to share some information or a link? Have any questions for neighbors or need help? Lost or found something? Know of upcoming yard/porch/garage sales? Go ahead, go nuts!

Note: Businesses are welcome to participate in discussions, answer questions or post job openings, but please no advertising – read the forum rules before posting.

Police say two men, ages 20-30, robbed another man at gunpoint near 45th and Pine Streets at around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday.

The victim was coming home from work and was standing outside his apartment building at 315 S 45th Street looking for his keys when he heard someone running up behind him. He turned to see what was going on and saw a man pointing a black semi-automatic handgun at him. The attacker said: “Give me all your stuff!” The victim handed his belongings (a cell phone, $200, a backpack and wallet containing his ID, credit cards and a Kindle) to the second attacker, according to police.

After taking his belongings both males ran off westbound on Pine Street. The victim was not injured. No arrests have been made.

A group of community members helped clean up and beautify Barkan Park at 50th and Spruce on Saturday. Mark Mendenhall of Garden Court Community Association sends word that the next clean up and Spring Planting at Barkan Park will be held on Saturday, May 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, call (215) 476-2983.