As we hustle and bustle in preparation for the Christmas holiday, items on the season’s to-do lists include such tasks as shopping quests for the perfect gifts, rounding up the Christmas-themed cookie cutters, addressing greeting cards and capturing those timeless pictures with Santa. An annual activity that was once slated as a photographic opportunity for young children has now expanded to display entire families, including the beloved furry members.
This month, many of Long Island’s animal shelters, pet supply stores and even a few animal hospitals host holiday events in which a photo session with Santa Claus is the headlining feature. A portion of the fee for Fido’s festive photo is typically allocated to benefit the shelter or an animal rescue organization. These happenings also take the opportunity to showcase some of the animals that are available for adoption. Many of these events offer refreshments for the humans and treats for the critters. Some also feature pet boutiques where you can find that special gift for your feline friends or canine companion.
On Saturday, December 7, all Petco locations will be hosting their in-store photos with Santa event. A portion of these proceeds will be allocated to the Petco Foundation, whose efforts strive to support animal welfare organizations nationwide. Additionally, owners of pets who are adopted that weekend will receive promotional offers from Petco as part of their participation in National Adoption Weekend.
On Sunday, December 8th, stop by Martha Clara vineyards in Riverhead for an afternoon of wine savoring in their pet-friendly tasting room and fun with the furries, hosted by Kent Animal Shelter of Calverton. Santa will be on hand for photos with your pets and family. Browse through the pet gift boutique for unique items, including some beautiful and cozy handmade beds to keep your feline warm and content through her long winter’s catnaps. In addition to the event’s proceeds, donations of pet food, cat litter, bedding, toys, treats, towels and blankets are welcomed to keep the shelter cats and dogs happy and comfortable while they await their forever homes.
The Suffolk Veterinary Group in Selden will be hosting its holiday pet photos with Santa event on Saturday December 14th from 10:00am – 4:00pm. Portrait packages featuring your pet’s photo with Santa will be available, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Compassionate Action, Inc., a non-profit, no-kill organization dedicated to rescuing Long Island’s homeless cats and kittens and placing them for adoption. You can view some of their available cats at the Petco locations in Selden and in Lake Grove. Special adoption events for Compassionate Action, Inc. will be featured at Petco's Lake Grove location on December 7 and at the Selden store on December 14 from noon until 4:00pm.
Two additional shelters that will be hosting pictures with Santa events include the North Fork Animal Welfare League Inc./Southold Animal Shelter in Peconic on Saturday, December 14th and at Southampton Animal Shelter on Sunday, December 8th. Please bring a treat donation to Southampton’s event, which will be placed under the shelter tree for the cats and dogs in their care.
Be sure to keep your dog leashed, and even a cat transported to the venue in her carrier should be wearing a secure harness and leash to prevent escape if she should panic and opt to try to flee the scene. While cats and dogs are both welcome to such events, dogs are usually more receptive to being in a busy public spotlight surrounded by strangers. Parents of cats may have better luck with holiday photo sessions at home in the kitty’s comfortable environment. Some tips for photographing your feline friend include using a background blanketed in a holiday color that contrasts and compliments your cat’s predominant hue. Red is ideal for black and/or white cats, green compliments tabbies nicely and winter blue brings out the color of a Siamese’s sapphire eyes. Add to the staging a holiday-themed prop. Some examples of such props include ornaments, wrapped gifts, silk poinsettia blooms, a stuffed animal with a red or green bow or a combination of Christmas objects arranged to frame and showcase your cat. Finally, remain patient and start firing away. Animals can be fidgety and are not always cooperative subjects. It may take sixty shots to achieve one to three pictures that will make prime candidates for selection, but that is one of the advantages of today’s digital photography. However you achieve your pet’s holiday photos this year, the prints can be framed for a cherished holiday display, and they can also serve as the graphic for holiday cards and tree ornaments.
Remember the shelter pets that dream of going home for the holidays, and consider making a donation to help your local shelter or animal rescue organization in their tireless efforts to help the homeless creatures in our community. No monetary amount is too small, and most of these organizations also gladly accept donations of food, toys and bedding. If your household is yearning for a furry companion, many shelters are waving adoption fees throughout the month of December. Consider giving a cat or dog the greatest gifts of all: a cozy home, a loving family and a happier life from this day forward.
This month, many of Long Island’s animal shelters, pet supply stores and even a few animal hospitals host holiday events in which a photo session with Santa Claus is the headlining feature. A portion of the fee for Fido’s festive photo is typically allocated to benefit the shelter or an animal rescue organization. These happenings also take the opportunity to showcase some of the animals that are available for adoption. Many of these events offer refreshments for the humans and treats for the critters. Some also feature pet boutiques where you can find that special gift for your feline friends or canine companion.
On Saturday, December 7, all Petco locations will be hosting their in-store photos with Santa event. A portion of these proceeds will be allocated to the Petco Foundation, whose efforts strive to support animal welfare organizations nationwide. Additionally, owners of pets who are adopted that weekend will receive promotional offers from Petco as part of their participation in National Adoption Weekend.
On Sunday, December 8th, stop by Martha Clara vineyards in Riverhead for an afternoon of wine savoring in their pet-friendly tasting room and fun with the furries, hosted by Kent Animal Shelter of Calverton. Santa will be on hand for photos with your pets and family. Browse through the pet gift boutique for unique items, including some beautiful and cozy handmade beds to keep your feline warm and content through her long winter’s catnaps. In addition to the event’s proceeds, donations of pet food, cat litter, bedding, toys, treats, towels and blankets are welcomed to keep the shelter cats and dogs happy and comfortable while they await their forever homes.
The Suffolk Veterinary Group in Selden will be hosting its holiday pet photos with Santa event on Saturday December 14th from 10:00am – 4:00pm. Portrait packages featuring your pet’s photo with Santa will be available, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Compassionate Action, Inc., a non-profit, no-kill organization dedicated to rescuing Long Island’s homeless cats and kittens and placing them for adoption. You can view some of their available cats at the Petco locations in Selden and in Lake Grove. Special adoption events for Compassionate Action, Inc. will be featured at Petco's Lake Grove location on December 7 and at the Selden store on December 14 from noon until 4:00pm.
Two additional shelters that will be hosting pictures with Santa events include the North Fork Animal Welfare League Inc./Southold Animal Shelter in Peconic on Saturday, December 14th and at Southampton Animal Shelter on Sunday, December 8th. Please bring a treat donation to Southampton’s event, which will be placed under the shelter tree for the cats and dogs in their care.
Be sure to keep your dog leashed, and even a cat transported to the venue in her carrier should be wearing a secure harness and leash to prevent escape if she should panic and opt to try to flee the scene. While cats and dogs are both welcome to such events, dogs are usually more receptive to being in a busy public spotlight surrounded by strangers. Parents of cats may have better luck with holiday photo sessions at home in the kitty’s comfortable environment. Some tips for photographing your feline friend include using a background blanketed in a holiday color that contrasts and compliments your cat’s predominant hue. Red is ideal for black and/or white cats, green compliments tabbies nicely and winter blue brings out the color of a Siamese’s sapphire eyes. Add to the staging a holiday-themed prop. Some examples of such props include ornaments, wrapped gifts, silk poinsettia blooms, a stuffed animal with a red or green bow or a combination of Christmas objects arranged to frame and showcase your cat. Finally, remain patient and start firing away. Animals can be fidgety and are not always cooperative subjects. It may take sixty shots to achieve one to three pictures that will make prime candidates for selection, but that is one of the advantages of today’s digital photography. However you achieve your pet’s holiday photos this year, the prints can be framed for a cherished holiday display, and they can also serve as the graphic for holiday cards and tree ornaments.
Remember the shelter pets that dream of going home for the holidays, and consider making a donation to help your local shelter or animal rescue organization in their tireless efforts to help the homeless creatures in our community. No monetary amount is too small, and most of these organizations also gladly accept donations of food, toys and bedding. If your household is yearning for a furry companion, many shelters are waving adoption fees throughout the month of December. Consider giving a cat or dog the greatest gifts of all: a cozy home, a loving family and a happier life from this day forward.