Santa is coming to town, but he’s not coming to see the kids – that is, unless your child has paws and a tail.
“Santa Paws” will be posing for photos with (nice) dogs of all ages at Crate Escape, too in Cambridge (Dec. 1, 6-8 pm) and at Crate Escape in Belmont (Dec. 10, 4-7 pm). Antlers and bell collars will be provided as well as refreshments. Photos (4×6) are $10 each. All proceeds benefit the MSPCA, so be sure to explain to your pooch that the embarrassment is for a good cause.
Extra incentive: Santa’s visit to the Cambridge location coincides with the Huron Village holiday fair from 6-9 pm the same evening. Boutiques will be open for business and are donating items to a raffle to benefit Community Servings. Buy local!
A tasteful pet portrait makes a wonderful gift any time of year, of course. Boston photographer Jay Stebbins raises the genre to the level of art. Take a look at his dog portfolio and check out his blog, Fido Loves.
This holiday season you may want to bone up on how to take great pet photos. The New York Times “Gadgetwise” column ran a very helpful article on this topic last spring, with eight rules of thumb (or dewclaw?) from professional pet photographer Grace Chon of Los Angeles. Her #1 tip? “Let the animal be an animal.”
“Photograph your pet where it likes to hang out, whether it’s the backyard or the foot of the bed. And give the pet its favorite toys. That’s one way to capture your pet showing its personality — have it doing what it likes to do best. It’s all about making the Rex or Whiskers comfortable.”
Before your dog meets Santa, take a look at some of the best-of-show holiday photos on Awkward Family Pet Photos. Who knows, after the holidays, maybe you’ll have an awkward photo of your own to submit!