Slinky the dachshund was one of the dogs getting their pictures taken with Santa Claus during a fundraiser event at The Dog House in Marshall on Thursday. The business has held a holiday photo opportunity for pets for a few years now, said owner Kary DeVlieger. This year, proceeds from the event would go to Lyon County Heart to Heart, DeVlieger said.

MARSHALL — Taking pictures with Santa can sometimes be a little chaotic – especially when you’re trying to get a puppy to pose for the photo.

“It can be hard to get them to look at us,” said photographer Katelyn Croat. Croat and her coworkers came prepared to get their subjects’ attention. “We’ve got treats, we’ve got squeaky toys,” they said.

Area residents and their pets were getting ready for Christmas during a community fundraiser event Thursday night at The Dog House dog daycare in Marshall. There were vendors and refreshments, but the main attraction was a chance for dogs to get their picture taken with Santa Claus.

Marshall resident Angie Algood said it’s become part of the holidays to bring her dog Phoenix to get his picture taken. “It usually is the Christmas card that goes out,” she said.

“We’ve done a pictures with Santa event a few years now,” said Dog House owner Kary DeVlieger. Pets don’t always get a chance to be included when people take holiday portraits, she said. So, The Dog House looked for a dog-friendly Santa.

“People love it. Most of the dogs come with little bandanas or Christmas jammies,” she said.

DeVlieger said organizers tend to see about 100 people come through the fundraiser each year. Each year, the business chooses a different organization to donate the proceeds to. This year, the recipient was Lyon County Heart to Heart.

Quite a few pets, including a bulldog named Odie, were wearing reindeer antlers to get their pictures taken Thursday.

“This is the first time we’ve done something like this,” Owen Longnecker said. Longnecker and Karli Reiffenberger said they had had good experiences with The Dog House in the past, and decided to try getting a picture of Odie with Santa.

Some of the dogs visiting the event were full of energy, like Vianey Larsen’s dog Po.

“It’s his first Christmas,” Larsen said. Larsen said it could sometimes be nerve-wracking keeping track of Po at the same time as all the holiday bustle was going on. “But it’s still fun he’s here,” Larsen said.