A year-end ‘Thank You’
Winding up 2023, I’d like to thank the Editor and Staff of The Island News for an informative and thoroughly enjoyable newspaper.
I have appreciated the publication of Beaufort goings on I have submitted and find the regular Voices thoughts of Scott, Terry, Carol and others, like Cherimie this past week, to be insightful and titillating.
I have yet to run into the now retired Scott Graber to buy him that glass of wine I promised him, but maybe in the new year. My favorites are the occasional writings and heartwarming stories of now Beaufortonians like Martha Thwaite, Don and Doris Wright and others from time to time.
A big Oorah certainly go out to our Veterans of the Week, some my personal friends, and kudos to Bob Sofaly for his timely photographic work and Justin Jarrett for outstanding LOWCO Sports coverage, which reminds me of the Wednesday weekly Beaufort Gazettes of the 60s. Good things done on the field of play, then and now, that help shape a lot of fine young people from Beaufort.
Please keep up the good work and best wishes for a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year!
– Jody Henson, Beaufort
Please, don’t give animals as gifts
Amid the expense and excitement of the holidays, taking on the responsibility of caring for an animal can be overwhelming for families. For animals, being given as “gifts” or bought on a whim can be disastrous.
Research shows that the average animal guardian spends about $4,800 per year caring for their cats and dogs, not accounting for unforeseen expenses such as emergency veterinary care, which can quickly total thousands of dollars. Holiday chaos, including visitors and travel, complicates an animal’s adjustment to a new home and challenges guardians in providing necessary attention.
After the excitement wears off and reality sets in, many animals given as gifts or impulsively obtained end up caged all day or neglected and left outdoors 24/7. Or they’ll join the countless others who end up in shelters or abandoned on roadsides to freeze or starve to death.
Please, never give a living, feeling being to anyone as a “gift.” If you’re emotionally and financially able to care for an animal family member for a lifetime, make their introduction to your home a happy and successful one by visiting your local shelter to adopt — afterthe hectic holidays.
– Melissa Rae Sanger, The PETA Foundation
