Hilton Head Monthly Magazine Voice of the Lowcountry 
If you are heading to Brighton Beach in Bluffton, you might have seen cute little pig grazing in the yard of a house on Alljoy Road — and then you probably did a touble take, as most people do. That’s Lila the pig, owned by Diane Owens and Walter “Wally” Sumner.
“I called her my chemo pig,” Owens said. “She was my companion and kept me going when I was battling cancer, and now she has become kind of the neighborhood mascot. Everybody loves Lila.”
Some of the best teachers of humanity aren’t human at all — they’re our canine companions. In his novel “By His Side: Tales of Love and Loyalty Between a Man and His Dogs,” Brian David Kolowich brings this concept to light as the reader views life through the eyes of Kolowich’s springer spaniel, Georgia, and her mixed-breed son Batman, as well as other dog characters like Batman’s brother Chai.
Melanie Steele raises championship greyhounds at her Bluffton home. But in February, a litter of 5-day-old puppies kept her from traveling to New York City for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
From her computer, she watched as her 3-year-old show dog GrandCru Giaconda pranced across the green carpet at The Piers to win the Westminster Best of Breed award.
It’s written on the side of the truck, but for Dan Fuller and the dogs of Urban Search and Rescue, it means a little more.
To you, it’s a beach. It smells like a beach. Maybe you catch some salt in the air, but otherwise it just kind of … smells like a beach.
Hilton Head Humane Association dogs in Canines for Service program
The Canines for Service program provides a service dog to approved veterans, helping empower those with disabilities to attain a high level of independence and improve their quality of life through these special service dogs.
The training to become a Canines for Service graduate takes 10 months to a year. During that time the dogs learn more than 90 commands that range from all levels, the easiest being the basic obedience skills.
Some dogs go above and beyond for their people. Just ask 9-year-old Lea Sheeran.
Those of us who are “dog people” know that life is measured in dogs. There was the shaggy protector who sat watch by your childhood bed during thunderstorms. The pooch who would come bounding out the door when you’d visit home from college. The curious puppy who greeted your first born with an apprehensive sniff and a face full of kisses.
Hilton Head has long been known as a family-friendly vacation destination, and now more than ever families are choosing to stay and play with their four-legged family members in tow.
The Palmetto Animal League and Bluffton Community Cat Rescue will work together to save local feral cat communities
Mary Clover has tirelessly cared for the local feral cat colonies for the past 45 years with her own blood, sweat, tears and money.
Her retirement, while well deserved, leaves a void in feral cat care in the Lowcountry.
Cast your vote for the Lowcountry's cutest pet! To vote, simply "Like" the Hilton Head Monthly Facebook page, and then "Like" the photo of the pet you feel is the cutest. Voting ends Thursday, July 10. Be sure to share this post with all of your Facebook friends. The winning photo will be featured in the August issue of Monthly. Want to enter? E-mail a photo of your pet to editor@hiltonheadmonthly.com.
ARMY’S FIRST 3-STAR FEMALE OFFICER NOW THE QUEEN OF HILTON HEAD’S FERAL COLONIES
In a place known for thousands of luxury homes, vacation condos and guest houses, there are other residential enclaves tucked away on the island. They are feral cat colonies, outdoor areas in the woods where a loyal team of volunteers help trap stray and wild cats and have them spayed or neutered, as well as inoculated for rabies and other diseases. Due to their lifestyle, they are basically unadoptable and therefore returned to their natural habitat after treatment.
It’s there in these selfdescribed colonies where the volunteers provide the feral cats with food and water daily which enables them to maintain a healthy lifestyle on the island.
