You’ve Gotta Love Pets
They need us as much as we need them
This is the fourth year we’ve featured the winner of our Tally Top Pet contest on the cover of Tallahassee Magazine, and the reveal never gets old. Each year, I receive a lot of positive feedback from pet lovers about the competition and its accompanying story, so much so that we’ll no doubt maintain the tradition for years to come.
For each of our reader events, we strive to partner with a local nonprofit, and in this case, Be The Solution was the perfect fit. Founded in 2007 by Gerry and Tim Phipps, the organization helps combat Tallahassee’s pet overpopulation problem by providing spay and neuter vouchers to area pet owners. These vouchers allow residents to get their pets fixed for a fraction of the cost and are available to anyone, regardless of household income.
Thanks to donations from veterinary partners and various fundraising efforts, the organization has provided over 30,000 surgeries since its inception and helped keep countless animals off the streets and out of shelters. Talk about a good cause!
You can be part of the solution by bringing gently used items to The Fix Thrift Shop next to Hopkins’ Eatery on Capital Circle, as 100% of the proceeds support the voucher program.
This summer issue is packed with interesting storytelling. We salute John Hogan, the former CEO and driving force behind Capital Health Plan (CHP), one of the country’s leading health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Despite retiring in 2023, he remains closely attuned to health care trends, market dynamics and everything else that kept him occupied during his tenure at CHP.
We converse with Kaydi Blackstock, a Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare fitness trainer who’s turning a golden retriever puppy into a dependable service dog; meet with the owner of a local equine rescue and rehabilitation nonprofit; and chat with others working with and making a difference in the lives of animals.
And of course, we introduce you to this year’s Tally Top Pet, a one-eyed foster cat named Plato. His story is one of triumph, a reminder that animals rely on our kindness and generosity to survive.
I salute all those like the Phippses working tirelessly to promote animal welfare in our great city and encourage everyone who can to “be part of the solution.”
Enjoy,
Brian Rowland, Publisher
browlandpublishing.com
