Mya wore pearls and Oscar wore a simple leather collar, to pose with the Easter Bunny.
Samantha Larouche brought her dogs to a photo session at Touch Animal Rehabilitation in North Bay, to not only add to her home picture gallery but to help raise money for the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides program.
"I wanted to spend time with my dogs, and of course this is a great cause, so I might as well do both in one day. The picture is going to go up on the wall at home with all the rest of their pictures. We've got pictures with Santa, we've got pictures with my husband and myself with the dogs, so it will go there." laughed Larouche.
Melanie Pigeau is the local Walk for Dog Guides Coordinator and Widdifield Lions Club member.
"We're fundraising to get more service dogs in our area. The service dogs are about $25,000 to get. We see about one a year come to North Bay, which is a lot better than it was years ago, when we were getting one every five to seven years., explained Pigeau.
"The money is raised from events held across Canada. The applications go to the head office in Oakville and they're approved from there."
Every Dog Guide is trained in one of six specialized programs: Canine Vision, Hearing Ear, Special Skills (Service), Seizure Response, Autism Assistance and Diabetic Alert.
"There is a bit of a training process once a candidate is chosen. He or she goes to the head office and trains side by side with their service dog, to make sure they're a perfect fit, and they actually live together at the facility for about a month. The dog is already trained in its field at that point," said Pigeau.
"The program has been very successful here in North Bay. Last year we had about six service dogs attend our walk, so there are quite a few here in North Bay."
For this particular fundraiser, pet owners paid a $15 sitting fee and received a picture of their animal with the Easter Bunny, and another with Easter props.
Photographer, Amanda Laframboise, of Prancing Paws Pet Photography was up for the challenge.
"I've been doing this for awhile. I have a long history working at a vet clinic so I'm pretty good with dogs. I actually find dogs easier to work with than children," laughed Laframboise.
"We've had a great morning so far. I'm having a lot of fun.It has been pretty relaxed. Everybody's pretty excited and nobody's been afraid of the Easter Bunny yet."
Laframboise will be at this year's Walk for Dog Guides in North Bay, taking pictures to raise even more money. The walk is set for June 3rd, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides.
