Santa Paws stopped off at Tri Lake Animal Hospital just before Christmas to get some seasonal photos with the clinic’s furry, feathered and scaly clients in aid of two local charities, the Okanagan Humane Society and Paws It Forward.
The event proved to be an amazing success with more than 40 pet owners from Vernon, Lake Country and Kelowna coming to the event. Santa met more than 50 pets including Kash the Nigerian goat (who was rather attracted to Santa’s red suit), Vixen the rat, Xanthus a bearded dragon, and Kira the python, as well as festively attired cats and dogs.
“Thanks to everyone’s generosity, Tri Lake Animal Hospital was able to raise $841.28 for the two charities, including a donation from a lovely couple who had saved up over $200 in change over the year, and a pet photo shoot which was donated for silent auction by Laurie Dew of Dew Photography,” said Cara Reed, client services manager at Tri Lake Animal Hospital.
Representatives from both charities were at the event and were able to meet and chat with owners and potential new forever homes.
“We had an amazing time at the Tri Lake Santa photo shoot,” said Charlotte with Paws It Forward, “it was so exciting to see some of our PIF alumni dogs and their happy forever homes.
“We love how the community has been so supportive of our dog rescue and we can’t thank you all enough.”
Louvain Schon with the Okanagan Humane Society said Tri Lake Animal Hospital has been extremely supportive of the society over many years.
“This is another example of their commitment to animal welfare and the generosity of animal lovers in the Okanagan, and I would like to thank everyone for their support, and the donation will be of great help to the society.
“I would encourage anyone thinking of spaying or neutering their pets to do this, as it greatly helps reduce the number of unwanted pets and feral animals in the valley.”
While waiting for their moment in the spotlight, pets and owners were given tours of Tri Lake Animal Hospital facilities by the doctors and animal health technologists, including the 24-hour ICU, operating rooms and CT scanner. Drs. Linda Kaplan, Autumn Pulfer and Dawn Coldwell were also available for any pet related questions.
“Tri Lake Animal Hospital would like to say a huge thank you to their clients and pets for their support of this event, and also to all the staff who helped make this happen and donated their time and resources for free.
“Particular thanks to our Santa Paws: local Winfield resident and all-round amazing Santa, Ken Dehnke; Laurie Dew of Dew Photography and her assistant Carli who helped every pet look their best; and Pam Kirstiuk for her handmade jewellery and refreshments.”
