Busy PET FILLED WEEKEND!!!

This weekend, we have Pet Photos with Santa!

This is an annual fund raiser we do for our volunteer animal rescue. It brings in about $1500 per year. We run a TNR program for feral colonies, and a low cost spay/neuter clinic, among other things.

A local credit union donates their office space for a Saturday and Sunday. A professional pet photographer donates her time. She comes early Sat. AM and sets up her lights and camera. She does a different background scene each year. Santa & Mrs. Claus - a real husband and wife couple - donate their time to pet fundraisers from Oct 15th to Dec 21st each year. We have had this photographer, and this Santa & Mrs. Claus for 18 years!

We set appointments, every 15 minutes. You can do just the pets, or pets and people. With or without Mrs. Claus. When you are inside for your "sitting," only you, your pets, and the volunteers are in there. Everyone else is waiting outside in their cars. So you don't have to worry about dogs being around your cats. After the shoot, (the photographer takes 3 or 4 and SHE picks which pose is best), you order: 8x10, 5x7, wallets, Christmas cards, etc. There are 3 or four packages. You do not see any proofs, the photographer picks the best one.

We have a lot of repeat customers.

I have volunteered for 5 years now, the 2 days, to help pose the animals. Great fun, a lot of work. Most of us wear shorts and T's as we are working under the hot lights with the furry ones. I love working with all of them!

My group of 6 cats last year was the largest cat group we have ever done. We have a family of 9 shelties who come every other year. That is the largest dog group. Many families are mixes, with dogs and cats. We also have birds, ferrets, guinea pigs. One family who comes annually brings their 2 dogs, one cat, and a house-trained rooster! The rooster uses the cat's litter box! His hens are outdoors, none of them has figured out how to use that yet, so they don't come to the photos either.

Time for your shoot, you and your entourage enter the front doors of the credit union. The photographer always has a wide variety of bandannas, necklaces, bows and ribbons. Many people bring their own ornaments, as well. In my picture, I made the jester - style collars that my 6 cats are wearing.

After your pictures are taken, you move further into the credit union to the back offices, where you place your order. Then you leave by the rear door and walk around the building back to the parking lot and your car. Ideally, we never have any group encountering any other group.

It takes a minimum of 7 volunteers to coordinate it all. Plus the photographer brings at least 2 people with her.


I love the animals, this is my favorite weekend!!! Some of the owners, on the other hand . . . . :D

I don't get the photo every year. I did get one in 1999, 2003, 2004, and 2005. I don't plan on getting one this year, even though Ebony has joined us since the last family photo.

I just love those christmas pictures, and the cats look so well behaved in the photos. It must be such fun to do this, I love making our animals part of Christmas. Jack & Sunny each have a stocking that i hang up and they have treats and food in them to have on Christmas Day so they're not left out. :)

What a fantastic fund-raising idea. :D I just love the photos. I hate to say that I'm afraid my furry girlies would hate the idea.

I would love to have the Cats sitting with Santa , but they are so skittish , and would run when Santa went Ho Ho Ho.
I cant of hand cannot think of a Cat who would not run in that situation.

ummmm....Gary.....do YOU have a Santa suit? And a friend with a camera? ;)

Sounds fun! I love the photos you've had taken, too.

What a great idea and nice pictures! It's amazing how well the cats cooperate - Fister surely wouldn't put with it! ;)

Best of luck this year, too!

I love your photos. Thanks for attaching them for us. You have some good kitties to pose so well. My two dogs would be a challenge. The last family photo we had was about 10 years ago, and on that one it looked like my husband was strangling one of the dogs trying to get her to remain still. Both of them also had they tongues hanging all the way out of the mouths because they were so over excited.

What a great fund raising idea! Those pictures are great too! Wishing you and your group tremendous success with this fabulous project. I hope you'll let us know how you make out?

What a wonderful event! It sounds very well organized too! I LOVE all the pictures of you and your Dad! You two seem to have a beautiful relationship! Thanks for sharing. ;)

This sounds like a wonderful event and for a great cause too.:) My cats would never cooperate though. I love all of the pictures.

I tried this at Petco when I only had Storm and Pepper and they hated it. There were dogs there so this also scared them. I had to be in the background and put my hands on Storm so that he would stay still. Storm looks very upset in the pictures that I ordered. I'll attach them here.

Now since I have a digital camera, I just take pictures of them at home.:)