Sarah Camden, an animal caretaker at Almost Home, said they will be setting up a photo backdrop and decorations for families to come have their photos taken with their pets.

Camden said all pets are welcome, but if they need special accommodations they will do their best to help.

“For example, if there’s a pet that doesn’t like men, we can make sure that our male employee isn’t in the room when they come in,” she said.

She added that they will only have one group in the room at a time, but owners should be aware that their pets will be around a few employees and the photographer in case they are extremely aggressive or shy.

All proceeds from the photos will go to supporting the animals at Almost Home. Camden said they are always in need of supplies and donations.

“Clumping kitty litter is a big need. We’re always going through that a lot with the kittens coming in and when cats get adopted out, we have to change the litter boxes. Dry cat and dry dog food is probably the next biggest need and we go through a lot of that. We try to stick to the Purina brand. We also need wet cat and dog food. For the cats it makes them feel more at home and helps them come out of their shell and with the dogs we have some picky eaters so it helps to get their appetite going,” she said.

In addition, Almost Home currently has some Christmas “Cause for Paws” items made by a local woman.

“She makes blankets and beds and gifts, a whole bunch of items, and she has a little Christmas stand set up right now in our front office. She does it all by herself and donates all she makes to us,” said Camden.

Almost Home is still closed to the public except by appointment, so if anyone is interested in shopping they can call the office and stop by. Camden said they also have many inexpensive leashes and collars for sale in the shop.

Customers will need to make an appointment ahead of time by calling 515-955-8343. Photos will be between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Camden said about half the slots are already full. The slots will be about 15 minutes long per family.

Customers can receive a printed set of photos or a digital copy for $15, or they can get both a printed set of photos and digital copy for $20.