| Louise Shannon-Martin has been a freelance reporter for the Savannah Morning News and the Island�s Living News for over three years, and her articles on local events and personalities appear regularly. She was covering the Humane Society�s 2005 Mutt Strut fundraiser, at which our Club walked as a pack, when she spotted the Chis of some members and quickly decided to do a story about us. Louise lives on Wilmington Island with her three youngest children, Chelsea, Miranda and Ryder, along with a Great Dane, black Lab, a Border Collie mix, four cats and two gerbils. Another son, Ross, is in college. |
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| SPOTLIGHT ON REPORTER LOUISE SHANNON-MARTIN |
| The club calls itself �a special little club for special little dogs and their people.� Its Web site says: �Our free club offers an enjoyable way to socialize your dog at our monthly meetings�interact with other Chi lovers, share information on this unique breed, and support groups and causes that benefit all dogs.� Budd says the club is always on hand to help out other animal organizations with fundraisers and other support. You can find the Chihuahua Club at the Mutt Strut for The Humane Society, donating goods to Save-A-Life, and at [some] club meetings animal rescue activists come and talk. One club member and owner of two Chihuahuas is Lisa Scarbrough, founder of Coastal Pet Rescue. Scarbrough says that you�d be surprised how many Chihuahuas become abandoned. �They get them as these cute little puppies, but when they grow up, some people lose interest in them,� she said. Scarbrough�s own Chihuahuas, Cocoas and Alex, are rescues. Friend of the club Sharon Bordeaux publishes Critter Magazine, which among other things helps abandoned dogs like Chihuahuas find homes. Want to be a member? You can contact Holly Budd at 353-7770 or visit the club�s Web site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChiSavannah/ . |
| January 2006 |
| Page 2 |
| Copyright 2006 Chihuahua Club of Savannah. All Rights Reserved. |
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| People love to dress their Chihuahuas; Chudleigh sports her Christmas outfit. |
| Little in size only (continued) |
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| Louise with Miranda and Ryder. |
| According to Louise, being a journalist entails much hard work and little glamour, but she loves having the opportunity to meet interesting people and learn in-depth about area events and groups. That she can often bring her younger children along on assignments is icing on the cake. In addition to her newspaper work, she has written articles for various publications including CatFancy and Posh Magazine Online, and is the author of two children's books titled Roach Rally Run! and Oh Gross! It�s Garth! Currently, she has two adult novels in progress. Louise is very familiar with Chihuahuas. Her family had one when she was growing up, her aunt was a breeder of AKC Chis for many years, and her mother presently has 10-year old Chihuahua named, appropriately enough, ChiChi. Louise and her mother intend to attend a future Club meeting, and we hope to see them soon. |
| Scarbrough and her organization can be e-mailed at [email protected] . |