Santa gets to hear what pets want for Christmas

Nancy Pappas dressed up her three babies — Katy, Susie and Murphy — in festive scarves and took them on Saturday to have their picture taken with Santa Claus.

The three Boston terriers cuddled into Santa's lap, flashed their pearly underbites for the camera, and then tottered home again. It was the first day of the Santa Paws program at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region.

"I have pictures (with Santa) of three dogs I no longer have, I've been doing this for so many years," said Pappas, who has also volunteered at the Humane Society for several years.

The fundraiser brought in about 100 people and $2,000 to the Humane Society in 2007, to be used for general animal care.

"One great thing about this is we get to see really loved pets, which you don't always see at a shelter," said Humane Society spokeswoman Ann Davenport. "It's so gratifying for us."

Susie, for example, has reached the advanced age of 12, and she's blind and deaf, her milky eyes unperturbed by the flash of the camera.

Just in front of the three terriers in line were two gregarious labradoodles, Lucy and Ricki, brought in by owner Carol Knaup. They, too, were festooned with holiday-themed neckwear.

"It's so damn cute," Davenport said. "Everybody who comes through here is in a great mood. They're in the holiday spirit and they're giving to a good cause."

Four-legged kids (or even human children) are invited back to the Humane Society to pose with Santa from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 6, 13 and 20-21. Photo packages start at $15. Visit http://www.hsppr.org for more details.