Santa paws is coming to town: Woods Humane holds annual holiday open house 

Picture this: You’re standing in line to see Santa Claus. Instead of bringing normal, boring, human children to see Santa like all the other moms and dads did, you brought your adorable little twin tabbies Bono and Larry Mullen Junior. Your kitties are basically your kids, and you love them just as much as any of these other parents love their little ones—why shouldn’t you be able to bring them to see the jolly old elf?

As you near Santa’s throne, you start getting some sideways glances from the parents in line. They must think you’re some sort of crazy cat person! Oh well, it will all be worth it when you see the look on Bono and Larry’s faces as they sit on Kringle’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas.

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• PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY SCHWELLENBACH
• MEOWY CHRISTMAS: Two years ago Cat Cat sat on Santa’s lap at Woods Humane Society and requested a lifetime supply of catnip for Christmas.

It’s finally your turn but—what’s this?—Santa doesn’t want to see cats. You leave, dejected. A solitary tear runs down your cheek. You’re not embarrassed, you tell yourself, you’re just disappointed that your cute little fur-muffins will never have a chance to see Santa, their second-favorite holiday character.

Or will they?

If you see a bit of yourself in the above scenario, then Woods Humane Society has just the event for you. On Dec. 6, Woods is once again holding their annual holiday open house. The open house’s biggest attraction, according to Executive Director Cory Karpin, is a Santa who actually wants to see your pets.

“People just love getting a photo of their pets with Santa,” Karpin said. “It’s amazing, we have a line out the door all day long.”

This year, Woods is bringing in a mountain of snow in an attempt to infuse the event with some authentic wintry fun. Kids will have the opportunity to run around and play in the snow, a pleasure charmingly exotic to Central Coast denizens.

“Having a yard full of snow for the kids and families, and even for the dogs is really exciting,” Karpin said. “Most California dogs have never seen snow, so we’re all pretty excited about opening up the yard at the end of the day and letting the dogs come in.”

Karpin said there will be other holiday-themed crafts and activities for the kids at the open house, presumably to keep the little ones busy while their parents are trying to wrangle the family collie onto Santa’s lap for a barrage of cute photos.

The event is also Woods’ biggest “in kind” donation drive of the year, according to Karpin. The staff at Woods has put together a wish list of items that they need to keep the facility up and running on a day-to-day basis. This Christmas, Woods is hoping to get items like paper towels, sponges, bleach, dish soap, towels, blankets, and pet toys.

Of course, visitors to the open house will have a chance to see the animals up for adoption; Woods is offering half-price or less ($50) adoptions to encourage families to take home a pet for the holidays.

“More than anything, the goal of everything we do is to showcase these incredible adoptable animals,” Karpin said. “And at the open house, our goal is to send as many home as possible.”

The holiday open house will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6. The festivities will be held at Woods headquarters—875 Oklahoma Ave. in SLO. For additional information visit woodshumanesociety.org.

Fast Fact

On Nov. 20 local marketing company, Verdin spent the day—literally the entire day—rebranding Operation COY (Coaching Our Youth). Operation COY is a nonprofit organization founded by Cal Poly alumnus and former NFL running back, Gary Davis. Its mission, according to the organization’s new website, is to “coach young, at-risk men physically, emotionally, and academically so they are equipped to overcome adversity and succeed in life.”

In what they’re calling the 24-Hour Give, the folks at Verdin pulled out all the stops and stayed up for 24 hours, giving the organization a free total rebrand—from the big stuff like a new logo and website, to the little details like business cards and promotional videos. According to Verdin, a rebrand like that is worth over $80,000.

Intern Cliff Mathieson is waiting in line to get a photo of Rex, his beloved pet iguana, sitting on Santa’s lap. Send your nonprofit and business news to [email protected].