If anyone has ever said animals don’t get excited about Christmas, that person has not met the homeless pets at the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League. These animals are amped up for the holidays; read on to see why.

To start the Christmas season off on the right track, BARL is hosting a photo shoot with Santa Claus. This “Photos with Santa” event will be held at the PetSense store in Brookhaven, Saturday from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. There will be a few photo packages starting at $10 to choose from to show off your adorable pets in their Christmas best. And we are an equal species picture taker…you can bring the whole family if you’d like.

Now, as usual, Santa is not coming empty-handed. One of Santa’s elves is accompanying him. Dr. Bob Watson, DVM, of Brookhaven Animal Hospital will be on site performing low-cost rabies vaccinations. The cost of the rabies vaccinations is $5, which is a significant savings for the public. Keep in mind it’s a Mississippi state law for pets to have this vaccination if they are 12 weeks or older. The Rabies Vaccination Clinics are a program of the Mississippi Board of Animal Health.

And for a finale, BARL has an adoption program going on called the Twelve Strays of Christmas. The adoption special is going on now until Christmas. The gist of the special is to bring focus on some special homeless pets and make potential adopters aware of what these awesome animals are all about. Take a look at the adoptable pet pictures on our website at www.barl.net, where there are photos and descriptions of the following: Bates, Carrot Top, C.J., Delores, Diamond Girl, Furby, Hershey’s Kisses, Hey Now (Mollie), Hot Spot, Inca, Noel and Tiffany. Each of these is part of our Twelve Strays of Christmas and has an adoption fee of only $37.50.

Be on the lookout for more on these great pet options coming in the paper, on Facebook or on BARL’s website, www.BARL.net.

BARL is as a nonprofit, limited-admission animal welfare group. The volunteer-based organization serves Copiah, Franklin and Lincoln counties. BARL provides food, shelter and veterinary services for abandoned, orphaned and unwanted animals until they are adopted. All BARL animals are vet checked, vaccinated and spayed/neutered. Dogs are also micro-chipped.

Anyone interested in adopting, contributing or volunteering should contact BARL at 601-757-4367 or info@barl.net. Donations are tax deductible and may be mailed to BARL, P.O. Box 3477, Brookhaven, MS 39603.