Animals pose for Halloween photos as part of fundraiser for Metro Animal Services

There’s no shortage of cute animal pictures on the internet, but Metro Animals Services plans to add to the collection — this time, for a good cause.

Metro Animal Services in Puyallup held its first Halloween-inspired photo shoot to help raise money for the shelter on Saturday.

“Metro needed another fundraiser,” said Jennifer Rollins, shelter assistant. “We thought of Santa pictures, but everyone thinks of Santa pictures, so we thought we’d do Halloween.”

Pet owners were welcome to come dressed up in costumes along with their pets. Donations were welcomed, but not required. Calendars featuring shelter animals made by Friends at Your Metro Animal Shelter (FAYMAS), a nonprofit supporting the shelter, were available for sale.

Bonnie King, a volunteer and president of FAYMAS, is one of two photographers at Metro Animal. She takes pictures of the animals for the shelter to put on its website to help spread the word about which ones need homes.

When Metro asked if she’d be the photographer for the event, she agreed.

“Taking pictures of the animals at the shelter — I really enjoy that,” King said, who also ran her own photography business for six years.

King plans to upload the pictures from the event onto her website, BonnieKingPhotography.com, where those interested can download them for $5 a photo. All of the proceeds will go into helping the animals at Metro Animal Services.

“All the events we do are for animals to find homes,” Rollins said. “We’re hoping to find people to adopt.”

Most of the animals King photographed were cats and dogs, but others were welcome. King has photographed a variety of animals, from goats to guinea pigs.

“Things are always changing here,” King said about volunteering at the shelter. “I’m here every week and I always see new faces.”

Carrma was one of the first dogs photographed at the event. A golden-retriever, lab, pitbull and hound mix, Carrma was dressed up as a ballerina and eagerly welcomed visitors.

“Carrma was fun,” King said. “She’s pretty well-behaved. She laid down flat and her ears were (lying) flat. We had to use a squeaky toy to get her ears to lift up. With cats — noise? Forget it. We have to use a feather (toy to get their attention).”

Dogs were photographed outside, while cats were brought inside.

“Some dogs don’t pay attention at all,” King said. “Some give me really cute faces.”

Gary Smith, whose wife Mary volunteers at the shelter, brought his cat, Asa Spade, to the shelter for a picture. Originally, Asa Spade was taken home by the couple from the shelter as a foster cat, but they adopted him after Mary Smith wanted him to stay.

Chris Lynch, vice president of FAYMAS, volunteers at Metro and helped out at the event.

“I really respect what they do here,” she said, adding that it’s important for animals to get attention and interaction. “If you spend time with animals, even if it’s not much time — spend time with them.”

If anyone interested in getting their pet’s picture taken missed the event, they’ll get another chance. The shelter is hosting a second photo shoot from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 29 at Metro Animal Services, 1200 39th Ave SE., Puyallup.

Participants can also be part of an online contest for “best costume.” All entries will be posted on the Metro Animal Services Facebook page by Nov. 5. People can vote by liking and commenting on the pictures. Voting will run through Nov. 11, and winners will be announced the following day. Prizes include a FAYMAS calender or tumbler.

Metro Animal serves seven cities including Puyallup and Sumner and is dedicated to helping animals find homes. FAYMAS, which has been around for two years, funds the shelter with goods and services, from insertion of microchips to paying for animal surgeries. Last year, FAYMAS helped Metro Animal with $17,000 in goods and services, hoping to reach $20,000 this year.

“We hope to make as much (money) as possible,” King said about the Halloween photo shoots. “We want to get the word out that the shelter is here.”

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Animals pose for Halloween photos as part of fundraiser for Metro Animal Services."