Saturday was a hit

Last Saturday, I shot over 70 pets and their people, which raised over $1400 for the Humane Society! Go Santa Paws! Although it was mainly dogs there were a few cats and all of them were oh so cute. Also, none of them peed. A small miracle at that. Usually we have at least one dog that pees. Then somewhere down the line the next dog smells the pee, despite the best efforts to clean it up completely, and subsequently pees as well. Par for the course. One thing that never ceases to amaze me are the dog wrangling skills of Lynne and Troy. Lynne is one tiny woman and Troy, though tall, isn't Arnold--but to watch these two in action you'd think your eyes were deceiving you. And, of course, I must tip my hat to the big guy...Santa. More often than not dogs come in scared out of their wits. The room we shoot in is foreign to them, has funny equipment, smells weird, and there's this big dude in a bright red suit and white beard wanting them to come sit with him. Not only that, but his mom and dad are making goofy faces, things are squeaking, and there's this bright flash that seems to come from nowhere. It's enough to turn even the most well-behaved dog into a snarling, snappy, attack dog. I am always awed at how calm the guys that play Santa remain. If it were me, I'd need Depends.

In the end it is so worth it for all parties involved. We all really do enjoy doing this. Each year Lynne and I sit down and discuss what new things we can offer to the public, background ideas, and anything else that can make this years' event even better than the previous years. It is both exciting and stressful as we truly want to make people happy and give them pictures they will cherish. Although we know that this is fast-paced, assembly-line, photography, we also want to do the best we can in the few minutes we have.

Apparently this year the talk around town is that the Humane Society's Santa Paws event is THE event to go to. That makes us all proud and we know it's because of the loyal people that turn out year after year, the new folks that show up to support a cause that it's worthwhile to them, and all the ones that spread the word. The staff at Bend Pet Express deserve a round of applause as well for their advertising, hosting of the space, and wonderful support. It is such a team effort and I am truly lucky, and glad, to be a part of it!