Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Dogs meet up with Santa and the Missus
POCOPSON » Candy canes and sugar plums might go through the heads of children at Christmas, but no one really knows what the dogs have in mind. Fortunately for the canines, Ace Hardware in Pocopson and its sister stores, Oxford Feed and Lumber and Pets and Friends in Jennersville, are bringing the same Christmas joy to dogs that children are receiving at numerous occasions all over the region.
On Sunday morning, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus sat comfortably among the hardware and pet food at Ace Hardware, and parents stood with dogs and children in lines to greet them and have a picture taken.
Lauren Bohnert, the comanager of Ace, said the store has been doing the dogs-meet-Santa for five years, and it has been growing by leaps and bounds each year.
“This is the biggest one yet,” she said.
Scheduled for noon to 2 p.m., the event had lines forming at 11:30 a.m.
In addition to pets, adults also brought their children, whose reaction to Santa Claus ranged from crying to absolute delight.
For the pets, it was wagging tail enthusiasm to apparent puzzlement for what this was all about.
Mrs. Santa Claus, who has been doing this for years, said she loves it.
“It’s a wild scene. One time somebody brought a horse,” she said.
Ace Hardware is situated along the railroad tracks in Pocopson just down hill from Pocopson Elementary School.
On Saturday, Oxford Feed and Lumber also had an animals-meet-Santa event, and Bohnert said it was equally crowded.
Feed and Lumber also holds a meet-the-Easter-Bunny Day that includes pictures with the rabbit couple and a chance to purchase baby chicks. It is so popular that parking is heavy for blocks around the store.
The next animal-Santa event is scheduled for Dec. 9 at Pets and Friends pet supply store in the Jennersville shopping center.