Santa Paws

“Come here, Daphne. We’re ready for you, sweetheart,” Kim Woodman cooed as she led the carefully coiffed Daphne to the stage.

Daphne followed in an elegant trot, then assumed a regal pose in Santa’s lap, the perfect model. If the others had only taken their cue from her. But no, many of them didn’t have a clue.

They bolted, cowered, bayed, clutched legs, slurped saliva all over Santa’s glasses, refused to look at the camera. A few of them even peed on the floor.

It was the animals’ turn with Santa at Santa Monica Place one night last week, when all manner of furry creatures were photographed with a furry-faced man in a convergence of two beloved national obsessions--pets and Christmas.

Having no comprehension of either the holiday or the camera, the animals for the most part would just as soon have been home with a nice bowl of kibble. But their owners loved it, happily paying as much as $22.95 for a set of color enlargements memorializing the event.

“I wanted to surprise my husband with a picture of Spotty with Santa. He won’t believe it,” said Nancy Lovendosky as Spotty, the family rat, sat on her folded arms.

Defying all those nasty rodent stereotypes, Spotty furiously cleaned his face with his paws before his photo session and then looked adorable as he snuggled up to Santa’s white beard.

Although the small animals like Spotty and Daphne, a Shih Tzu with flowing black and white hair topped with a bow on her head, tended to know what was expected of them, the big guys were often bewildered.

Take C.D., a sweet hunk of a mountain dog.

“C.D., babee, sweeeetheart,” begged Karan Keles, trying to get his wandering eyes trained on the camera.

A dog sitter, Keles had brought C.D. and six other canine charges to the Santa shoot. She stood behind the camera, along with the photographer and two volunteers from PAWS. The nonprofit group, which received some of the evening’s proceeds and supplied a number of “dog wranglers,” helps people with AIDS and HIV keep and care for their pets.

Desperately trying to get C.D.’s attention, Keles and the volunteers clapped their hands and called his name. Someone squeezed a Winnie the Pooh squeaky toy.

“Perhaps the rattle will work with this guy,” another suggested, hunting for a baby rattle. Jake, one of C.D.’s day care buddies, bellowed a few yards away, echoing through the mall. Finally the strobe fired.

But when the Polaroid was peeled back, there was C.D. “with a funny face.” He had to be re-shot. Back up to the Santa stage. This time he was calmer, but his tongue was all over the place. Santa turned the dog’s head toward the lens. Finally, C.D. gave in, striking the appropriate pose.

“Yeah!” Keles yelled.

Jiro, an Akita, also flunked his first session with Santa.

“Do you want to try again or go home?” Elaine Miyagi asked him. PAWS volunteer John Galea brought over a doggie treat. “Want a cookie, honey?”

Miyagi and Jiro eyed the stage as a golden retriever reacted to Santa with a belly crawl in the opposite direction. “I don’t feel so bad now,” Miyagi said. But then the next dog obediently planted himself next to Santa’s cowboy boots. “How do they do that?” she muttered.

Not to be outdone, she tried again, mounting the stage with Jiro. He pulled away. He wrapped his paws around Miyagi’s legs. Finally she knelt with her arm around his fluffy shoulders and for a fleeting moment, he cooperated.

For all their reluctance, pets are actually easier subjects than children, photographer Alexandra Moran said. After all, she didn’t have to make the dogs laugh. Santa Eldon Brzak, who has four dogs and six cats at home, said he thought animals and children were about the same, with one advantage for the pets. Their owners did not constantly fuss with them on stage the way parents do with their children.

Still, the animals presented their own challenges. Brzak had to wipe dog saliva from his glasses and beard after 4-month-old Biscuit III covered his face with sloppy kisses. Cooper, a little dog with curly white hair, had to be photographed three times because he was barely detectable. He kept fading into the white towel on Santa’s lap.

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The third time the towel was dispensed with. “He doesn’t shed,” a friend of the owner assured Santa’s helpers. “It’s not for shedding,” PAWS volunteer coordinator Candee Kennedy replied wryly.

Though a few floor puddles had to be wiped up, Santa’s lap remained dry.

Keeping the reindeer antlers and little red hats straight was another matter. A number of dogs, and even a cat, arrived with holiday accessories. “Oh, I hate when they have antlers on,” Kennedy said as she glanced at two dogs crowned with white cloth antlers. “They’re humiliated.”

If Joey Baloney, a longhaired Dachshund, minded his outfit--a red elf’s hat and a red scarf--he didn’t show it. And although his owner, Eileen Clark-Oakes, was clearly not above a little kitsch, she let it be known she has her limits.

“Some people have asked me if I highlighted his hair,” she said with an “only in L.A.” roll of her eyes. “No, his hair is not highlighted.” Joey’s red and gold streaks are natural.

By night’s end, about 100 animals had gone home with their Santa snapshots.

And guess who spends more on Santa photos? Pet owners or parents?

Pet owners, of course.

Anita Lopez, district manager for Santa Plus--which is running the mall’s Santa operation this season--said the pet people more often bought the most expensive photo package.