Santa checks his list twice to see if these pooches have been naughty or nice

CORTE MADERA, California (CNN) -- Who says only children can sit on Santa's lap? Dogs can, too.

Hershey, a chocolate brown dachshund, squirmed a bit before having her Christmas portrait taken recently, but by the end of the photo shoot, the pooch peered straight ahead as the camera shutter snapped.

And so it went recently as pet owners in suburban San Francisco brought their four-legged "children" to see Santa.

The photo sessions, organized by the Marin (County) Humane Society, help raise money for the animal shelter that was home for some of the pets before being adopted.

Like Hershey, not all the dogs warm up to the red-suited stranger right away. But Santa says he's never had a bad experience.

"I've never been bitten," he told CNN affiliate KTVU. "I've never had any dog do something that I didn't want him to do on me. All the dogs have been very good."

When Santa, who speaks dog language fluently, asks his furry visitors what they want for Christmas he usually gets the same answer. According to him, an item called "woof" is very popular this year.

QUICKTIME

2.3MB / 240x180 QuickTime movie

Please enable Javascript