January 2013

January 7, 2013 Letters from the Editor No comments

Beau, my 8-month-old orange tabby cat, ‘reads’ Coastal Living—and, yes, I found him lying on the bed that way!

As we welcome you into the new year, we also welcome you to our first annual pet issue. Each January when we and our readers are worn and weary after the holidays, we promise to greet you with happy-go-lucky images of local furballs. This year, pages 11 through 13 are chock-full of pictures you all sent us! From playful puppies to lounging cats, there’s plenty of reason to say, “Aww!” In fact, my boyfriend and I are lucky enough to call the cover dogs (Dixie, a 10-year-old black Lab, and Dakota, a 4-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retreiver) ours!

Also in this issue, we share helpful tips for keeping your pets healthy. We sat down with veterinarian Dr. Travis at River Road Hospital and the vets at Southport Animal Hospital to discuss the best way to brush our pets’ teeth and more—see page 7 for the Q&A. Rae Keane, owner of Zeetlegoo’s, alerts us on the hazards in certain pet foods (page 8). Four Legs Good owner Johnna Jalot shares several reasons why, sometimes, we may just need to dress our pets to the nines (page 9).

In Brunswick County, several organizations work hard for the welfare of animals on many levels. There are shelters and adoption agencies which strive to find loving families for homeless pets (pages 4-6). Plus, those of the wild sometimes need rescuing, too. That’s when Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter and Oak Island Feral Cat Club rush to their aid (page 7).

Along with the information about local shelters on page 4, you can read the story of how I found my newest companion, Beau (pictured here), and how I had to say goodbye to a dear friend.

Also in January’s edition, there’s fun for theatre-goers (page 15), finance tips for young adults (page 20), and more. Go on, flip the pages, and enjoy all we bring to you in 2013!

Wishing you a bright new year,
Bethany