
Santa Paws is coming to Town - Image: Elaine de Wet
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way! Oh, I love Christmas! A festive time to spend with family, our loved ones and friends - a time of jolly good cheer!

Have your photo taken with Santa Paws - Image: Pixabay CCO Public Domain
One of the best times about Christmas is getting one's photo taken with Santa Claus, or is that Father Christmas? He usually arrives early from the North Pole, specifically for photo sessions with our little ones and has a grand ol' throne to share for those once a year photo shoots. Our furry family members always seem to miss out on this exciting time (nothing, of course, to do with the fact that we can't take them into shopping centres).

My best smile for Santa Paws - Image: By Slant6guy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0,https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23127846
To ensure that our furry family members are not left out of this year's festive cheer, the
Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge (SCARS) are having a Christmas Party especially for our four-legged family. Adorn your favourite furry 'person' (dog or cat) in their Christmas finery and suppawt SCARS for a photo session with Santa Paws on Sunday 27 November 2016. Only $15.00 donation and you'll receive a 7 x 5cm photo via email (this is the preferred method) or alternatively have your photo mailed. Proceeds for Santa Paws are for the cat and kitten foster programme expenses.

Immaculate gardens, thanks to the volunteers - Image: Elaine de Wet
The Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge do such an amazing job - managed by an
unpaid, elected committee and run by a small staffing compliment and a
large dedicated group of volunteers. The Refuge operates from a 1.08 hectare site, adjacent to the Council Pound in lush green surrounds and can house approximately seventy dogs and fifty cats at any given time. The Refuge accepts cats and dogs from the Sunshine Coast Council Pound after owners cannot be traced and also from private surrenders. The group of volunteers do a superb job, the grounds, buildings, pet enclosures and gardens are pristinely clean and immaculate - a true pleasure to wander through.

The furry residents here have flawlessly clean homes - Image: Elaine de Wet
All cats and dogs admitted to the Refuge are vet-checked, vaccinated, de-wormed, desexed, micro-chipped and medically treated, if necessary, prior to being available for adoption to the public.

All I want for Christmas is You - Image: Pixabay CCO Public Domain
SCARS rely on the support of the Sunshine Coast Council Partnership Funding programme, bequests, local businesses, clubs and the community to ensure their continued survival. If you're interested in making a donation, please
click here.

Welcome to Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge - Image: Elaine de Wet
Perhaps, like me, your furry family members have passed on to doggy heaven, and the thought of replacing them is just too much to bear, then donating some time to SCARS could be a rewarding way of interacting with orphans looking for a forever-home. SCARS always need reliable and dedicated 18 year plus volunteers to assist with early morning and afternoon work, feeding the resident furry members, cleaning their homes, preparing food or general maintenance and washing. If you would like to make your 'mark' at SCARS and become a volunteer, please
click here.

The whole family is invited - Image: Pixabay CCO Public Domain
An exciting event for the
whole family, there will be food, cold drinks and raffles in a stunning tranquil location and all for a very worthy cause. Make your way to the Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge in Tanawha for
SANTA PAWS, get your photos taken with Santa and spend some time with those looking for forever-homes. If you perchance meet 'someone' with doe-eyes, that you can't leave behind, and your family could do with an extra member, I would happily say
'and who could blame you!'

Santa Paws is coming to Town - Image: Elaine de Wet
PS For this special event, please ensure that your furry family members are on a leash at all times and are happy with socialising by putting their best 'paw' forward.