Pet Party Line is a column written by Beth Byrd and is featured weekly in The Citizen News, one of our local newspapers.

"Thank You to Our Departing Editor"

Ann Landers once said “Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful!” That’s not entirely true when it involves the many pets of All God’s Creatures and our soon-to-be departing Editor/Publisher of The Citizen News, Frank Johnson. Frank is admired by all of us for the excellent job he has done since he arrived in Edgefield only a year ago. From day one, you could tell he loved and felt a true compassion for animals and he offered his support (above and beyond) for the mission of All God’s Creatures.

The “Pet of The Week” photo and description and the Pet Party Line Column have enabled All God’s Creatures to become more visible and effective in finding good, LOVING homes for our “orphans.” Frank always covered our visits to the local schools to educate students about pet ownership and care. We had lots of fun working together at the various festivals in the area (remember trying to put up those tents ); and, he just “went the extra mile” in providing us with top notch reporting. As a dear friend and colleague, we wish him well in his new position near Charleston and hope that Edgefield County will have always have a special place in his heart. Frank, you made a such a difference and we will miss you. Thanks for everything.

-After the pet food scare, Joan Weiskopf, a veterinary nutritionist, wrote a book entitled Pet Food Nation, which shows how to fix smart, easy and healthy food for your pet. On one of the talk shows, she demonstrated by preparing chunks of chicken, potatoes, string beans and baby carrots and cooked them briefly in coconut oil! Regular table scraps can be so fatty for your pet, so visit her website if you want to learn more about “alternative” pet foods.