San Clemente : Group Books Santa for Portraits With Pets
Santa and his elves will not be drawing hazard pay Saturday when pet lovers line up to have their animals’ picture taken with St. Nick.
Although Santa has occasionally been nipped or soiled by frightened animals, organizers of the pet portrait session say that most visitors are well behaved. The event raises money for an animal welfare organization called ARF, the Animal Relief Foundation of Dana Point.
“Almost all of the pets that come in are well-trained by responsible owners,” said Mary Obenberger, a spokeswoman for the ARF. “Santa doesn’t usually have a problem.”
Photos will be taken from 2 to 5 p.m. at Petco, 415 Avenida Pico. For those who cannot make this weekend’s event, there will be another Santa pet photo session Dec. 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
ARF charges $5.99 for the picture; the fee is donated to the all-volunteer, nonprofit organization. “All the money is used for animal welfare, for things such as veterinarian care and any money needed to help rescue an animal,” Obenberger said.
The group rescues strays and puts them up in the houses of volunteers until adoptive homes can be found. More than 2,800 people in the South County area belong to ARF.
The group is seeking to buy a facility to house the strays and holds several fund-raisers during the year to support the program.
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