Animals play such a big role in our lives. Whether you’re a dog person or a cat person, you know the love of a devoted pet.

This issue of Tifton Scene has something for both sides of the Dog-Cat Divide.

If you’ve been around Tifton very much you’ve seen an oversized litter of bulldog statues scattered around town. All are in the basic shape of the University of Georgia’s Uga, but most have been personalized beyond that to represent local businesses or individuals with a love for English bulldogs.

Reporter Davis Cobb spoke with the artist, Jill Whitley, about how she started making the statues and what it takes to bring a vision like that to reality.

Then Cobb crossed over to the feline side of the debate, where he met with Goldie, the mascot of Regina’s School of Dance, and her owner, Regina Clark. Goldie can often be seen sunning in the school’s plate glass window, and she’s a favorite with the students.

But there are animals beyond the domesticated dogs and cats that share our everyday lives. Kay and David Scott, travel writers from Valdosta, share with us some affordable national park accommodations so that we too can get close to nature. Just remember, the animals you’ll see there are still wild and are not safe to pet or give belly-rubs to.

Then we wrap up this issue with recipes for special grilled cheese sandwiches, which have nothing to do with animals but are really gooey and good.

Enjoy all we have to offer in Tifton Scene! If you know of other stories we can share with the community, drop me an email at kevin.hall@tiftongazette.com.

Kevin C. Hall, editor

The Tifton Gazette and Tifton Scene magazine