Well, it had to happen sometime and unfortunately that time has arrived. This will be the last issue of the paper version of Critter Chatter. It isn’t a decision we came to lightly; but it is one that had to be made.

When we first began publishing Critter Chatter in 1996, there was no other source of local information about pet related topics. We provided a lot of useful information that could not be found anywhere else, and we tried to do it in an upbeat way that was entertaining as well as informative. We tried to focus on the positive and emphasize the fun of having a pet and all the things you could do with it.

A lot has changed since then.

Autumn is such a great time to be outdoors around here, with the warm days and cool nights that those who live up north would call summer, that it is just too nice out to stay inside. Weather like this needs to be enjoyed.

If you saw the last issue, you know that we are really excited about Jack Anthony’s new book, Waterfalls of North Georgia. It is a beautiful book with over 150 photographs of more than one hundred waterfalls that can be found an hour or so north of Atlanta. There are some real gems in this book that we had never heard of, and the photographs are terrific. An added bonus is that with each waterfall there are directions to help you see it for yourself. Anthony has visited each of these places recently, and his directions are the best we have seen.

We decided to feature Rabun County in this issue for two reasons. We wanted to offer a lot of options in a localized area so that whether you come for a day or a long weekend, you will be able to see and do as much as you want in the time available. In addition, since we are focusing on waterfalls, it made sense to look at the part of the state with the most water.

During a two-week period in July we were contacted by three people whose dogs had come down with bloat. They had been looking online for information about the subject, and had found the article on our website. For two of them, it was too late; their dogs had died. The third person had come home after an evening out to find her dog acting strangely. The dog was swollen and seemed to be trying to vomit but without success. Since her vet was closed, she went online looking for information. After reading the article on bloat she rushed her dog to the emergency clinic, where x-rays showed that the stomach was twisted. Immediate surgery saved the dog’s life. If she had waited until morning to see her regular vet, the dog would have died.

In each issue we have photos of people and their dogs.
Can you tell who's whose?