PORT ANGELES — Kim Pruitt began to wonder what she had gotten herself into when she was told to show up for the photo shoot in a bathrobe.
But she was so comfortable once the photography session began for the Peninsula Friends of Animals 2004 fundraising calendar that she couldn’t wait to pose again.
Pruitt reprises her role as “Miss November” in the 2007 version of the calendar, “Cats ‘n’ Dogs . . . and Artists, Too!”
The calendar goes on sale this weekend in select Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Port Townsend businesses.
Sales help support the organization and its “no kill” shelter, Safe Haven, which is located halfway between Sequim and Port Angeles.
Pets and artists
In this year’s calendar, Pruitt poses with her cat Trouble, a six-year-old who began as a bottle-fed Peninsula Friends of Animals feline and now weighs 19 pounds.
The 2007 calendar shows off women artists from Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Port Townsend.
They range in age from 21 to 86, and they are all posing with their pets.
The women are all naked, but with props or animals placed strategically in the photos.
The props represent their crafts, such as painter, musician, sculptor, writer, poet, chef, dancer and actress.
This year, the group allowed for a few “racier” shots than the two previous versions in 2004 and 2005.
“It was amazing how comfortable I became when we started,” said Pruitt.
“It was really, really neat, especially when it is for the right reasons. I couldn’t wait to do it again.”
When shelter supporters began planning the calendar, they were surprised how many people were willing to pose for it, she said.
“We had to turn people away. It’s not hard when you truly believe in something,” Pruitt said.
The only hesitation many potential models had was negative community reaction, she said.
Some people have derided the concept of a calendar that features nudity but the overall response has been good, Pruitt said.
“We’ve had way more positive response than negative,” she said.
Stores and businesses that will carry the Peninsula Friends of Animals 2007 fundraising calendar are:
* In Port Angeles
Port Book & News, 104 E. First St.
Odyssey Books, 114 W. Front St.
Necessities & Temptation, 217 N. Laurel St.
Something to Crow About, 1017 E. Front St.
Airport Garden, 2200 W. Edgewood Dr.
Alley Cat Boutique, 123 W. First St.
* In Sequim
Best Friend Nutrition, 61 Valley Center Place
Frick Drugs, 609 Sequim Village Center
Sunny Farms Country Store, 261461 Highway 101
Vision Landscape Nursery, 131 Kitchen-Dick Road
Twice Loved Books, 353 W. Bell St.
Pet Town, 680 W. Washington St.
* In Forks
Fern Gallery, 11 N. Forks Ave.
A Work in Progress and Café Paix , 71 N. Forks Road.
Forks Outfitters, Hwy. 101 South
* In Port Townsend
The Green Eyeshade, 720 Water St.
Calendars are $15 each plus $3 shipping/handling, with another $1 shipping and handling for each additional calendar, available by mail at PFOA, P.O. Box 404, Sequim, WA, 98382.
For more information, phone toll-free at 1-800-701-0488 or check online at http://www.charitycatcalendars.com.
