 Delivering toys around the globe overnight has got to be easier than getting four dogs to sit still for a photograph.
Ernest Leverette Sr. was nevertheless willing to give it a shot. Leverette, dressed in full Santa Claus regalia, endured lashing tails and doggy kisses to pose for pictures with pets and raise money for the Pender County Humane Society. For Leverette, it's a much better job than his career as a truck driver. Humane society treasurer April Farr said the money will be a big help in paying the ,500 weekly cost of operating the organization. Leverette and photographer Dick Parrot managed to choreograph a moment's stillness by Emma Jean the basset hound, Oscar the Yorkshire terrier, Doogie the poodle and Clementine the English bulldog for the Kivlighan family. Another pair were a bit more challenging. Patch quietly rested his forelegs on the arm of Santa's chair, but Alyssa Savonen's other dog, Annabelle, couldn't resist licking Leverette's face until Savonen warned her, "Do you want a spanking? Stop it!" Pets Plus manager Moore said increasingly people are adding beds, toys and treats for their pets to their holiday shopping lists. Moore herself is a supporter of animal charities. She adopted her dog Ripple last year from the Southport-Oak Island Animal Rescue. (Agencies) | 圣誕老人的工作是在一夜之間把圣誕禮物送到全世界。然而，還有一件差事比這個還累，那就是讓四只小狗安靜下來，乖乖地拍一張集體照。 盡管如此，歐內斯特·萊弗里特仍然愿意進行一下嘗試。 只見他披掛著全套圣誕老人的行頭，忍受著毛茸茸的小狗尾巴在臉上掃來掃去，還不時遭到狗"吻"的偷襲，而這一切，完全是為了拍一組和寵物在一起的照片，為彭德郡動物收容所籌得善款。  對萊弗里特來說，做這些比他卡車司機的工作要有趣多了。
動物收容所的財務阿普麗爾·法爾說，收容所每周的平均開銷高達2500美金，拍圣誕照片的收入將能夠幫上大忙。 萊弗里特和攝影師迪克·帕羅好不容易讓奇維利家的四只小狗：矮腳獵犬挨瑪·瓊、約克郡犬奧斯卡、獅子狗杜奇和英國牛頭犬克萊芒蒂娜安靜了片刻，按照預先設計好的動作和圣誕老人一起拍了一組照片。 而阿麗莎·薩沃寧家的一對小狗就不那么好對付了。其中一只小狗帕奇安靜地把前腿放在圣誕老人的椅子上，不過那只名叫安娜貝勒的小狗卻老是不停地舔著圣誕老人的臉，以致于薩沃寧不得不威脅她說："快停下！不然我可要打你屁股啦！" "Pets Plus"寵物商店的經理莫爾介紹說，現在已經有越來越多的人在假日購物時，把寵物床、寵物玩具及寵物娛樂列入了開支清單中。 而莫爾自己就是動物慈善事業的支持者。她現在的寵物狗里普爾就是去年從紹斯波特-奧克拯救流浪動物協會領養的。 （中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2002-12-23 01:00
