Local pets had the chance to share their wish list with Santa this year at the Cause For Critters Santa Photo Session.
Held on November 29, Alexis Gigg, social media and communications for the Cause for Critters board, says there were around 50 animals that showed up to meet Santa.
Gigg says CFC holds a few different photo sessions over the year, but the most popular one is the Santa Photos. “Christmas is always the biggest hit,” she says.
Because they are working with animals instead of children, Gigg says they had to choose someone who was good with animals. She says their Santa volunteer, Jim Nelson, is very relaxed and the animals trust him.
“He’s fantastic with the animals. They love him,” says Gigg, “Even the nervous ones seem to flock to him.”
The photographer, Krystina Lynn, also donated her time for the shoot. Gigg says she’s always stepped up for CFC and provides great photos.
“She does a lot of rodeo and horse photography,” says Gigg. Her history with large animal photography makes her a perfect choice to have for animal photos.
“It was really successful, they were busy the whole time,” she says.
She says everyone has fun with photo events. They accept all pets, though they’ve never had any reptiles brought in. The puppies usually keep the volunteers busy because they have to burn off all of their energy before they can sit still for the photos.
“It’s a really fun event, and every single year we look forward to it,” she says.
Gigg says they also took pictures of the cats to post on social media to help them get adopted. Right now, any cats going to their furever home get to go home with a free bed.
Currently, CFC has 75 animals that need homes. Gigg says they are looking for volunteers to help at the shelter and foster homes for some of the animals.
“We have so many animals, even though we’re trying to reduce the number,” says Gigg.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering can get an application form at the shelter. Those working with cats need to be at least 16 years old, and for the other animals they must be 18 years old.
