How Regina’s Pet Station is creating fur-family traditions

Pet Station in Regina hosted a Santa photo day on Saturday, giving local pet owners a chance to build holiday traditions with their four-legged family members. (Brittany Poitras / CTV News)

The Pet Station in Regina was filled with wagging tails and smiles on Saturday as the family-owned pet store hosted a Santa photo day, giving local pet owners a chance to build holiday traditions with their four-legged family members.

The event brought together pets and their owners for photos with Santa, while also highlighting the store’s focus on community and connection.

Yigi Zargar, an employee at The Pet Station, said events like this are about more than just pictures.

“We love when people come together in our store and they bring their pets and they just have a good time. It brings happiness to their pets and to them,” she said.

The Pet Station has been operating in Regina since 2020, and Zargar said community involvement has always been central to the family business.

One of the pet owners attending the event was Jade Rayner, who brought her rescue dog Maya, a pet-ambassador for the Pet Station. Rayner said the event was a fun way to celebrate the season while supporting local businesses.

“It’s just great, because then I can print the pictures, and then we can give them to our friends and family. And it’s just nice to be able to do that while supporting a local business here as well,” she said.

For Sunny Sutariya, Santa photos with his dog Lucky are an annual Christmas occasion.

“This is our regular tradition since he was one year old, since the day I got him,” he said.

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He added that, for him, the tradition carries special meaning.

“I have been in Canada for almost 15 years, and I always wanted my kids to have a picture with Santa. He is my kid, so there you go,” he said.

Elton and April Preikchat also returned to The Pet Station with their dog Otto, continuing a tradition they’ve kept for years.

“We do it every year and we love these girls. The whole family, they’re just amazing people. So that’s why we come here. [We] really try to support them,” April said.

The pair said they got Otto in 2021 as a wedding gift to themselves, and they now create family traditions together, like pictures with Santa each year.

Zargar said the support from the Regina community is what keeps events like this going.

“I’d like to thank everybody for all their support, especially during holidays is really important. And we love it when you come in with your furry babies, it’s an awesome time,” she said.