Pet photos with Santa back in Maple Ridge for fifth year

Santa will be at Haney Builders Supplies again this December, with dogs, cats and all kinds of other animals visiting him.

For the fifth year, Natalie Zuke Grant will be offering pet photos with Santa, for donations to an animal charity.

“It's a lot of fun – it's a huge highlight of my holiday season, that's for sure,” said Grant.

She started the venture in 2019, took a year off during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now in her fifth season. Each year it grows, and Grant believes it has about quadrupled in size from the first year.

Santa and the photographer will be at the store on Dec. 1 and 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. For a suggested donation of $20 patrons can receive a festive photo or two.

A wide variety of pets are welcome, and Grant has had horses, pigs, roosters and chickens, and even a hedgehog come to see Santa.

There are a couple of changes this year – a fireplace backdrop in addition to the sleigh, and the patrons will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis.

“This is our fifth year running the Santa photos for charity with tremendous success, and we have all you lovely humans to thank for that,” said Grant, who runs both Dirty Dog Adventures and Nat Zuke Photography.

The event has raised more than $4,000 for charity in past years, and this year Grant is going to be giving the funds to a non-profit society that helps injured or orphaned wildlife.