Here comes Santa Paws

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/11/2018 (2834 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IT’S starting to look a lot like Christmas — at least in the sense that in a few days I will be liberally coated in dog drool and cat hair.

That’s because on Sunday, Nov. 18, for the 12th straight year, I will be dressed in a red-velvet suit to portray the Jolly Old Elf at the first of two Pet Pics with Santa Paws fundraisers in support of the Winnipeg Humane Society.

This marks the third year our newspaper has hosted the event, which means on Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m., pet lovers can have their best friends’ photo taken with Santa (as portrayed by an overweight newspaper columnist) at the Winnipeg Free Pressbuilding at 1355 Mountain Ave.

I don’twish to brag, but itwouldn’t be Christmas for me if I w asn’t spending four hours sweating like a Butterball turkey inside a red-velvet suit and having my photo taken with hundreds of jittery dogs and cats, not to m ention the odd snake the size of a firehose.

If you are impressed by the fact that I have volunteered to be Santa Paws for the past 1 2 years, you will be even more in awe of the fact that photographer Frank Adam has dedicated the last 24 years to helping Winnipeg pet owners make cherished holiday memories.

Before packing up your cat or dog or snake on Sunday and heading to the Free Press building on M ountain Avenue, the first thing you need to do is make an appointment for your pet online at Frank’s website, adamyorkphotography. com. Click on Pet Pics and scroll down until you find the register button.

If you can’t make it this Sunday, a second Pet Pics event is being held Sunday, Nov. 25 — yes, Grey Cup Sunday—from noon to 4 p.m. at the Petland store at 2355 Mc Gillivray Blvd. Hint: Don’t bring your pets to the Free Press that day.

What Santa Doug really wants you to know is that you should drop whatever you are holding — unless it is a cute puppy or a kitty — and book an appointment RIGHT NOW!

“The bookings have been a little slow, but they are starting to pick up,” photographer Frank told Santa last week when he checked in to see how things were going.

“The first Sunday (Nov. 18) is about half full, and we’ve booked about onequarter of the spaces for Nov. 25 (Grey Cup Sunday). We need people to book those spots.”

Even though I already knew the answer, I asked Frank why we’ve been doing Pet Pics for so many years.

“We do it for the kitties and puppies from the Winnipeg Humane Society,” my photographer buddy chirped instantly. “I’ve always loved animals and I always wanted to help out the humane society’s cause and to give back.

“So, 24 years ago, I was approached by a womanwho was the head of the Friends of the Winnipeg Humane Society, formerly the women’s auxiliary, and they asked to come on board, and I said, ‘That sounds like fun.’ And it has been!”

For Frank, who refuses to take a photo until he gets a pet in the exact pose he wants, the real joy of the season is in never knowing what exotic creature is going to walk around the corner to have its photo taken with a portly columnist.

“You see a lot of different pets and different outfits on the pets,” he reminded Santa, who each year, is besieged by hundreds of furry creatures, almost all of whom are festooned with novelty reindeer antlers and collars adorned with festive bows and jingle bells.

“We’ve seen snakes, chickens, hamsters, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, exotic birds, and a year or two before I took over, they had a horse come in and Santa and the photographer went outside to take the picture.”

I do not know about the horse, but this Santa can confirm he has seen his share of sizable snakes, including the time this Not So Jolly Elf squealed in holiday horror when a pet python wrapped itself around Santa’s head and then attempted to slither up the sleeves of his sweaty red suit.

“I actually thought your reaction was pretty comical, Santa,” Frank recalled, because he would have been happy to see Santa strangled if it meant getting the perfect photo. “Maybe I’m a little bit of a sadist, but the bigger the snake, the better.”

If any snake owners are reading today’s column, I would like to suggest they contemplate booking spots at the second Pet Pics event at Petland on Grey Cup Sunday, so this Jolly Old Elf does not end up shrieking: “Ho ho…. NOOOO!!!”

Snakes aside, Frank wants everyone to know that human beings are welcome to pose with their pets. And along with making a heartfelt holiday memory, there’s always the chance you will find something else — true love.

Which is exactly what happened to our Pet Pics photographer almost 20 years ago. “I met my wife, Amanda, at Pet Pics,” Frank, 57, told me. “That would have been in 1999, I think. She came to Pet Pics with her dog, Auggie. I actually fell in love with her dog first. I asked her out on a date, and the rest is history.”

Other than dealingwith a squeamish Santa and being struck by Cupid’s arrow, the biggest challenge Frank has faced at Pet Pics in the past 24 years is simply getting nervous animals to look directly into the camera.

“I suppose just getting them to look at the camera instead of at Santa is the challenge,” he confided. “They’re just so fascinated with that big beard of yours.”

One year, Frank tried tying a slice of bacon around his lens in hopes it would encourage hungry pets to focus on him. “It didn’t work,” he recalled. “Maybe it should have been cooked. I might try it this year. Then, when it’s all done, we can have a little snack.”

The main point is Santa can’t wait to see you and your pets, because this event always makes him feel like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas at the precise point the green-skinned grouch’s tiny heart triples in size and the true meaning of Christmas shines through.

And all you festive snake owners should remember there are a lot of openings for the second Pet Pic event, which will featurea much braver Santa.

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca