Pet Photo Nights with Santa Paws

If you have yet to fashion your holiday card, here’s your chance to get the perfect picture worthy of mantel real estate.  Chesterfield Towne Center and Holiday Barn Pet Resorts are partnering to present “Pet Photo Nights with Santa Paws” on December 2nd and December 9th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., at Chesterfield Towne Center.  Exotic pets may be accomodated if you give advance notice.  So bring the furry, feathery, leathery family members and get your merry on.

Who can resist?!

If you need inspiration, here’s a sneak peek at my holiday 2012 card featuring Jack, the dazzling maltipoo from RVA.  Yes, many treats were involved in this photo shoot.

Jack’s Holiday Photo Card – 2012

Santa Paws: 2012 retail forecast

thisnext.com

Whether we like it or not, it is officially the holiday season.  Thank goodness I love to shop.  Stony Point Fashion Park is brilliant and I will make every effort to patronize businesses there rather than the non-doggy enthused alternatives.

The 2012 holiday season is gearing up to be “one of the busiest in years,” according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).  The NRF projects a four percent increase in spending on holiday loot—gifts, cards, trees and décor—to $586.1 billion, with greatest attention to gift picks.  This is where the dog economy can chime in.

Young professionals are staying single longer, and with this rising trend many take the starter family plunge via furry child.  If (factually) more Americans have dogs than kids, and more dog owners treat their dogs like family members, it is a safe bet to drive investment in canine gift giving.  An added bonus, stagnant household incomes have shown less affect on the pet product purchases than on people.  I.e., dog lovers are fanatical and will sacrifice their own indulgences before their pet’s.

Experts say more than half of the holiday shoppers will purchase online.  Web-based businesses in RVA, like Best Bully Sticks and Wag-in-the-Box, will see amplified traffic.