Watch now: Photos with mini-horse in Bloomington reining in funds for charity | Local Business

BLOOMINGTON — A Bloomington business is putting its best hoof forward to help sick children.

The Barking Lot, a dog grooming, daycare and boarding operation housed at 1811 Morrissey Drive, is hosting photo opportunities with “Santa Hoofs.” That’s a 9-month-old Appaloosa mini-dwarf horse, which goes by the name Stuart Little when it’s not Christmastime.

In exchange for photography sessions, The Barking Lot is collecting donations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Additional times are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18-19.

Owner Deenie Sullivan said a few years ago, she brought another mini horse in and took photos of all of her daycare dogs as gifts for clients. Aside from rescuing animals, she said, another big passion of hers is helping St. Jude.

Sullivan said she picked St. Jude because her great-great-nephew died of leukemia.

“My brother passed away when he was 42 from mesothelioma,” she said, ”and he would have been his great-grandson.”

While she’s personally donated to St. Jude for the last 10 years, Santa Hoofs is The Barking Lot’s first fundraiser for the hospital. Sullivan hopes to raise $1,500 and have her business match that amount. As of Sunday, over $500 has been collected.

And the response from customers has been huge, she said. Around six people showed up Sunday, most of them early and all at once. Sullivan said Saturday was busier.

“Kids, adults, whoever wants a picture with Santa Hoofs, they can come by,” she said. They’ve even had cats brought in for photos, and one girl called about bringing her ferret, Sullivan said.

Kate Moritz stopped by The Barking Lot to get a few snapshots with her dog, Trixie. She said the photo opportunity was a great idea and she’s glad to be a part of it and donate — even though Trixie was a little scared of Santa Hoofs.

“It was worth it,” Moritz said. “It was fun, great, and for a good cause.”

Sherri Strandberg, a friend of Sullivan’s, also stopped by to add to the donation box and get some photos.

She owns Strand, a Bloomington hair salon at 215 E. Washington St. Strandberg said her office neighbor is attorney Chip Corwin, and his daughter had leukemia. She said they made trips to St. Jude for three years, and the daughter pulled through the disease.