I Saw Nicki Kissing Santa Claus

Nicki went to see Santa today and told him that what she wants for Christmas is a forever family of her very own.

Santa told her that he really wanted that for her too.

Because, it seems that Santa has known Nicki for a very long time......

I had a note from Ashley the other day (I get more notes from Ashley!) asking if Walt would be willing to be the Petco Santa today, sitting in the store for 3-4 hours having his picture taken with people's pets.

Walt may be the wrong body type for Santa,but he's had experience in the role. In the first year or so of our marriage, he was the office Santa -- and he weighed 20 lbs less then! (They thought it would be funny to have the skinniest guy in the office be Santa, I guess.)

We discovered that the first step in being a Petco Santa is to sign a liability release. If a dog maims him, he had to promise not to sue, and if a dog kills him, I can't sue either.

Then came the costume, which was a little difficult to fit, since the pants were more my size, the boots wouldn't fit over his shoes, and the velcro on the belt was gone. But somehow we (Walt, me and a store employee) got it all put together and he was ready to face the dogs.

There was a line waiting for him when we got there and he started having his photo taken with dogs by themselves and with people and their dogs.

I had already claimed special privilege -- I know the Santa/pet photos are a fund raiser for Petco and that a good chunk of the funds go to the SPCA, but this was MY Santa and MY foster pup, so when there was a I plunked Nicki in his lap and told the photographer that I would take my own picture, and I did....

...a couple of them. It also gave Nicki a break from being in the cages outside. She had started shivering the minute we got into the car to head to Petco. I think she has come to associate riding in the car with something bad about to happen, in her mind.

We always put her in a cage at the far end of the action, so she doesn't get too overloaded, and the kid in the cage with her was very good and had her all cuddled up in his lap. They also put a sweater on her to keep her warm (which I should have done before we left here).

After I took her picture, I decided to come home to feed the puppies. It's an overcast day, so easier on my eyes and Petco is only about five blocks away, so I figured I could drive home without killing anybody. I also wanted to get my cell phone so I could take a picture of Walt to send to the kids.

Nicki definitely had a rough day at Petco. By 1 p.m. (we got there at noon), She was growling and snapping. She had to be taken out of the cage away from the other dogs. I finished taking Santa photos and then picked her up to take her home. She assumed her "depressed stance" in the car, sitting in a corner, head down, responding to nothing. When we got home, She growled at Lizzie and bared her teeth at me. I ended up cuddling her until she started to relax and be her old self again. It was just like the last time she freaked out--she put her paws around my neck, buried her head in my neck and just sighed for awhile until she calmed down. She just can't take overstimulation, for sure.

Will Nicki get her wish for Christmas? Well, if it's up to Santa, yes, but I rather suspect we're looking at a forever home after the first of the year.