MEET THE PACK
PUBLISHER
Brian Foster brian@lowcountrydog.com
CHIEF CANINE OFFICER
Peanut
SOCIAL MEDIA & CONTENT COORDINATOR
Julie Murray julie@lowcountrydog.com
COPY EDITOR
Chelsea Salerno
INTERN
Fern Wooden
PHOTOGRAPHER
Southern Vintage Photography
WEB DEVELOPER & DESIGN CONSULTANT
Laura Olsen
We hope you enjoy this special edition of Lowcountry Dog Magazine. Our annual Holiday Guide is published to help our loyal readers find gift ideas for both their dogs and their friends and family who love dogs.
Lowcountry Dog is Charleston’s Digital Dog Magazine and we believe that our dogs are our best friends and that’s why we need a reliable source to turn to for all things ‘dog’ in our community. Our mission is to be the number one Charleston area resource for dog owners regarding regional dog-centric and dog friendly events, health & wellness information, training, trends, and local news. We also strive to be a mouthpiece for various Lowcountry based pet nonprofits and to promote pet adoption and other responsible pet care practices.
Follow us on social media and visit our site for the latest issue as well as plenty of information about local dog services, rescues and more. All our issues are digital and readable on any device with clickable content.
THE BLUE NOSE PITTIE
STORY BY JULIE MURRAY ILLUSTRATIONS BY LAURA OLSEN
Once upon a time there was a dog named Zelda. She was a beautiful dog with a beautiful spirit and her favorite time of the year was Christmas!
Zelda tried to spread holiday cheer wherever she went. When she met new people, she would wag her tail and wiggle her butt and try to make everyone smile. Sadly, most people would cross the street to avoid her with their Christmas packages, get angry because they were scared of her or just not look at her at all. Zelda didn’t understand why this happened. She didn’t understand that humans cropped her ears to make her “look tough” or that her breed was seen as dangerous by lots of people because of untrue stereotypes that were passed around. Just because she looked a certain way, people would not give her a chance to love them.
Zelda tried not to let this bother her and continued to spread joy. One day, she was walking down the street on her way to sniff out the best Christmas tree and she met a kind old man with a big white beard sitting on a park bench. He looked very sad and worn out so she went up to him and sat right in front of
him, wagging her tail and gazing up at him with love. He smiled and patted the spot on the bench next to him so Zelda jumped up and immediately began to kiss him and sniff and snarf in his beard. The old man laughed for the first time in weeks and thanked Zelda for her cheer. “This time of year is just so hard - no one seems to care about one another anymore. They just want to stick their noses in their phones and ignore everything.” Zelda personally did not see what the problem was with sticking noses in things, but she could tell that the man was upset so she just leaned her big head up against him and let him talk. “You see, my job depends
on people believing in goodness and kindness and seeing what’s on the inside, past all the material things, and loving and helping one another. People just don’t seem to care anymore. I’m too sad and too tired, the elves are depressed and the workshop morale is at an all time low.” The kind old man thanked Zelda for making him smile, gave her one last scratch, picked up his sack and made his way back down the street.
Zelda continued to enjoy her day, catching snowflakes on her hippo tongue, building snowdogs and frolicking in the park where the ice skaters twirled and glided on the pond. As she was sniffing a particularly interesting patch of yellow snow, she heard a distant cry and looked over to the pond. The kind old man had fallen through the ice and could not swim! No one else had noticed as they were all busy taking selfies with their phones, so Zelda knew it was up to her to take action. She ran over to a group of skaters and said “Please help me! My friend has fallen through the ice!” However, the people were scared and they backed away from her and shooed her away. Zelda knew it would be up to her to save
the kind old man so, being part hippo, she decided to go and rescue him by herself.
Zelda put her paw in the water - it was COLD - but she knew that she had to be brave. She eased into the water and slowly doggy paddled out, out, out into the pond. All of the skaters put down their phones and noticed that Zelda, a dog they thought was scary and mean, was risking her own life to save another.
They began to cheer her on and hearing this made Zelda even more determined. She finally reached the kind old man and grabbed him by the collar of his red suit and swam him back to the edge of the skating pond. Everyone clapped and rushed up to help Zelda and the man get dried off and warm. They all apologized to her for the way they treated her before, and clapped and hugged her and called her a hero. Zelda was so happy and wagged her tail and wiggled her butt. No one noticed that the kind old man had snuck off in the commotion and was warming up in his nifty sleigh. He smiled to himself as he watched everyone come together from afar and toast Zelda with their hot chocolate. “Maybe people aren’t so bad after all”, and his heart felt warm and full again.
That year, everyone noticed that they had a particularly wonderful and generous Christmas...but no one knew it was all because of a sweet, wonderful, brave pitbull named Zelda. www.lowcountrydog.com
In the 1950s, Hollywood Feed began on the corner of Hollywood Street and Chelsea Avenue in Memphis, TN. We started as a local feed store and ultimately grew to a trusted neighborhood purveyor of pet supplies.
Today, we o er high-quality foods, USA made treats, toys, beds, and more. We continue to grow, but our philosophy never changes. We strive to provide unmatched service and honest values to our loyal customers o ering only the best products that we ourselves test and believe in. and in.
WEST ASHLEY
CHARLESTON, SC
1129 Savannah Highway (843) 718-2680
Across from Whole Foods!
PATRIOTS PLAZA
MOUNT PLEASANT, SC
921 Houston Northcutt Blvd (843) 654-9462
Next to Whole Foods!
No. 1
Pennsylvania Made Jerky, $13.99-$14.99
New stocking stuffers! Give your dog a grain-free, gluten-free treat this holiday with our USA-made jerky available in beef, chicken, pork and turkey.
No. 3
Brownlow Christmas Ornaments Santa Paws $9.99
Include your pet in this year’s Xmas tree décor with these ornaments dedicated to our furry family members.
No. 5
Mississippi Made Seasonal Donut Bed, $134.99 to $149.99
Seasonal fabrics at a great price. All materials made in the USA.
No. 2
Primitives by Kathy Christmas Wall Countdown Calendar, $24.99
Include your pup in the countdown to Christmas! This adorable calendar fits a dog biscuit perfectly in each pocket.
No. 4
Huxley and Kent Snowflake Bowtie, $5.99
These stylish bow ties attach to your pet’s collar with an easy-to-use Velcro tab.
No. 6
Primitives by Kathy Treat Truck, $14.99 Wooden box signs are perfect gifts for fellow dog lovers.
’Tis the Season to
Holiday Events
DECEMBER
12/07/2019
Touch A Truck Car Show
2 pm to 8 pm at Cane Bay High School Hosted by Law Enforcement
United Team LowCountry, SC
12/07/2019
Crafty Bastards Arts &CraftsFair
10 am to 4 pm at Joe Riley Park
12/07/2019
Night Christmas Parade
Town of Moncks Corner
6 pm to 9 pm
12/07/2019
Santa in the Swamp Cypress Gardens
10 am to 2 pm
12/08/2019
Summerville Christmas Parade
2 pm to 4 pm
12/14/2019
Folly Beach Christmas Parade 12 pm to 3 pm
12/14/2019
Holi-i-nub Benefit for Carolina Boxer Rescue at Queen South in Waxhaw, NC 12 pm to 4 pm
12/14/2019
Edisto Christmas Parade
2 pm Palmetto Blvd. “Rockin Round the Christmas Tree.” Holiday Market Festival to follow at Bay Creek Park. Vendors, food trucks, live music.
JANUARY
01/18/2020
Eat, Drink & Rescue
Lowcountry Dog’s 5th Annual Eat, Drink and Rescue comes to Smoky Oak Taproom on James Island from 1 to 4 pm with 6 local rescues, local vendors, live music and more.
Check out our Events page for even more local events. www.lowcountrydog.com/events
