Say cheese, and bark please

What could be more cute than your little Ginger wearing a Santa hat?

The humans over at the Orcas Off-Leash Area are offering pet owners a way to both support the dog park and get an adorable snapshot of their furry loved ones.

Pets can be brought to Pawki’s during the Shop the Rock weekend, Dec. 4 and 5 from 3 to 7 p.m., for photos in a holiday setting. Pawki’s, located at 199 Main Street in Eastsound, will provide pet goodies and props. Members of the off-leash area board of directors will offer hot cider and baked goodies.

The photos will be printed right there for a donation of $10. The color photos will come in one 8x10 print, two 5x7 prints, and four 4x5 photos. All of the money raised will go towards keeping the Off-Leash Area open and maintained.

“We get some discounts from island suppliers, but basic items run up to about $5,000 a year. Which is pretty inexpensive for running a park of that size,” Jeff Hanson, chair of the Orcas Off-Leash Area board, said.

Yearly expenses for the park include 12,000 mutt mitts (for picking up), 2700 cubic feet of wood chips, 52 trash pickups, 24 hours of grass mowing a year, and 12 months of liability insurance, which makes up about half the budget.

The holiday photo event is a kickoff for the Off-Leash Area’s first stewardship campaign to provide funds for operating the dog park next year.

“We were thrilled with the support provided by generous donors in 2008 for moving the Off-Leash Area and building the shelter there,” Hanson said. “The donations were enough to make the move and operate the park for the first year. We’ve worked through some challenges over the last year, but we’re now confident that the park will be here as a social outlet for dogs and their people for a good while. We’re asking people to become stewards of the Orcas Off-Leash Area to help cover the costs of keeping the park open and maintained.”

The $25 required to become a stewardship member all goes towards funding the dog park. Stewards receive an Orcas Off-Leash Area sticker, the dog park newsletter, and this year, two sheets of photos from the event on Dec. 4 and 5. Forms are available in the shelter at the park, and at Pawki's.

Hundreds of dogs use the off-leash area each week, and Hanson says the minor bumps in the beginning of the year have all worked out.

“A lot of people are using it, and they're getting comfortable there,” he said. “Dog owners are paying attention to the rules, and it's working as it was intended: as a place for dogs and people to socialize.”