When Kiki Bermudez, a Sydney real estate agent, founded her “festival” for dogs at Centennial Park in Sydney in late November, there was one stall she knew would be popular.
Having previously struggled to find somewhere to have her pets’ photo taken with Santa, she was eager to ensure no one missed out at the inaugural Santa Paws event, which raised money for local animal shelters through her Ozzie Tails of Hope charity.
“We had two Santas, not one, because I felt like the demand would be very high,” Bermudez says, adding that both were kept busy posing with a new dog every five minutes throughout.
While photos on Santa’s knee have been a rite of passage for Australian children for decades, four-legged friends are increasingly getting in on the act. Westfield shopping centres – which run special Santa photo sessions for a broad range of pets, from dogs and cats to alpacas, ferrets, lizards and birds – have seen a 54% increase in bookings in the last three years. A spokesperson says such sessions were usually the first to sell out.
Courtney Hughes has been having a Santa portrait taken with her four siblings since she was a kid.
Her mum says it’s the one time of year “she can force us all to be together for a photo”, and so their tradition lives on, even with everyone grown up.
Before last Christmas, Hughes set up her own business, also called Santa Paws (but unrelated to the Centennial Park festival), to offer Christmas photos for pets. She doesn’t currently employ a Santa, but after seeing inquires double this year, she’s thinking of getting one involved for 2024.
Hughes says a lot of her clients are “couples in their 20s, you know, with their fur child”, but she’s quick to add that isn’t the full picture.
“I’ve had people reach out to me this year saying ‘oh I’m so glad that we can get another photo. Our dog’s getting older and they’re worried it’s going to be our last Christmas’,” says Hughes.
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“And then you’ve got the other spectrum where they’ve just gotten a new puppy and it’s all very exciting.”
She also photographs lots of large multigenerational families – from grandma right down to the family dog. Hughes thinks it’s part of a wider change in how humans have come to see their furry friends.
“Now it’s like [pets] are part of the family, well and truly,” she says.
“Christmas involves the whole family.”
