Some quivered, some barked, some shied away, while others handled getting their picture taken with the Easter Bunny, like pros.
Approximately 30 pets, mostly dogs, attended the annual Pet Photo Day at Touch Animal Rehabilitation in North Bay, in support of the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides program.
The cost to raise, train, and place these highly trained Dog Guides is $35,000.
Dog Guides tend to specialize in one of seven Dog Guide programs.
Hearing Dog Guides assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Other specialty areas include seizure response, diabetes alert, autism assistance, or canine vision for the blind or visually impaired.
Service Dog Guides are trained to assist people who have a physical or medical disability, and facility support dogs, assist professional agencies working with vulnerable people who have experienced trauma.
Event organizer Melanie Pigeau, a member of the Widdifield Lions Club, was pleased with the turnout for the photo shoot.
“It was amazing. It is just so fun seeing all the different dog breeds and the different dog sizes and we even had a couple of cats stop by for a photo as well. The bunny had both at once. They did well,” laughed Pigeau.
Jasmine, a one-year-old husky boxer, and Java, a six-year-old Siberian, who was also celebrating her sixth birthday.
It was Jasmine’s first time at a Pet Photo Day, while Java had previous experience.
It took a bit of convincing to sit pretty, but they finally struck a pose.
As Gloria Swanson once said,” I am ready for my close-up Mr. DeMille.”
Jasmine and Java’s pictures will be displayed in a place of honour in their home.
“We’ve got frames for all of them. We lost our 16-year-old husky, named Mocha. She had her picture taken here as well. So, we have pictures now of all three of them,” explained Debbie Kuiack about her fur babies.
She also likes the idea of helping the cause.
“We just think supporting it is amazing and we have no problem doing that.”
Jackie Brown brought Otto, a 2-and-a-half-year-old Shephard to get a keepsake picture with the Easter Bunny.
“It is nice to be a part of a fundraiser like this. My daughter asked me to bring him out today,” explained Brown.
”It is an important fundraiser to help people get through day-to-day tasks that are easy for us, but a dog would make all the difference for somebody.”
The photo shoot is a lead-up to the Walk for Dog Guides scheduled for Sunday, June 2nd at the North Bay waterfront.
“I find this (photo day) is our main kickoff event to the walk itself. It gets a lot of attention because of the funny photos of pets. It is something pretty unique to North Bay.”
Pigeau has set a financial goal of $18,000, up from last year, of which the photo shoot money will be added.
“I always get worried, but the support for Walk Day is always truly amazing with people dropping off general donations, and people supporting the raffles.”
And of course, donations collected by the walkers are very important.
Dogs are invited to participate in the walk.
“We just do the waterfront from one end to the other (starting at the Rotary Picnic Shelter). We’ll have some entertainment for people as well to stay and have a hot dog or hamburger after the event.”
The third fundraising event for Dog Guides is the traditional dog wash.
“It is held the weekend after the walk. It is on a Sunday as well, June 9th. The reason why we do it the weekend after is because we hope the weather will be a little bit warmer, but we have washed in the rain before,” laughed Pigeau.
At the end of the day, the Pet Photo fundraiser managed to bring in $450.
“We had a couple of people do general donations. And some people mentioned they are already thinking ahead to the walk.”
People interested in participating in the walk can pre-register online at www.walkfordogguides.com
Some Dog Guide matches have been made with recipients in North Bay, and with the right support, more matches could be possible.
