Gig Harbor Firefighters Pose with Pets for Charity Calendar
Tongue wagging and heavy salivation is often synonymous with flipping through firefighter calendars. But for the Gig Harbor Fire Department’s calendar, it’s pets doing the drooling.
Calendars that feature firefighters and their four-legged friends are now available for purchase. The calendar showcases both career and volunteer firefighters posing with both dogs and cats.
Kim Owen, owner of local pet boutique FC Pawprints, came up with the idea for a firefighter pet calendar as a fundraising tool.
“Most of them have pets, and they are very pet-friendly,” Owen said. “Hopefully the community buys them (the calendars) and helps support the local fire department.”
All proceeds will go to the Gig Harbor Firefighters Association and Coalition: Humane, a group that provides low-cost spaying and neutering for Pierce County animals. The calendars cost $15 each and can be purchased at FC Pawprints and at department headquarters on Bujacich Road NW and prevention headquarters at 6711 Kimball Drive.
Firefighters were more than willing to show off their four-legged friends, Owen said. There were more volunteers signed up than there was space in the calendar.
The photo shoots took place in March, and most of the shots were taken near fire trucks and within the department’s training center.
Working around firefighters’ busy schedules is tough enough, but throw in a dog or cat, and it added another element. Dogs perched on a fire truck may be cute, but keeping them still was just one of the challenges that presented themselves.
“We have to kind of do the photography on the fly,” Owen said.
Owen quickly realized great ideas don’t always pan out when animals are part of the equation.
One such idea was to show firefighter Andy Cochrane rescuing his cat, Parker, from a tree. The problem? Owen said Parker weighs 27 pounds and, as a result, she couldn’t find a branch big enough to hold the cat.
“We tried, but the cat had nothing to do with it,” Owen said.
Firefighters plan to sign calendars at the Borders in Uptown Gig Harbor. Dates have yet to be finalized.
