IN THIS ISSUE
28 Berners for the Win
The Cooks, who have loved and raised Bernese mountain dogs for years, are the proud owners of George, holder of a Best in Breed title from the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
34 Lost & Found
Heartwarming stories about people helping pets in need.
40 Out of Africa
A family-owned safari park and preserve in Como offers open space for humans and animals to meet.
Meet Dolly and Millie, the 2024 Invitation Pet Cover Contest winners. Basset hound Dolly is featured on the cover of the Oxford magazine, and Old English Sheepdog Millie is on the cover of the northeast magazine. There were over 1,000 entries to the contest, and almost 3,000 people voted in the final round.
LETTER from the PUBLISHER
Pets come in all shapes and sizes. While I grew up with a dog (as I wasn’t a fan of cats for many years), in the last year I now can add “cat owner” to my list of credentials.
My most unique experience with pets was when my daughter fell in love with horses, and a 1,400-pound horse named Crystal became a part of our family. My 7-year-old child (at the time), weighing in about 60 pounds, would climb upon her back, and I remember walking up to Crystal’s nose, looking her straight in the eyes and saying, “Please take care of MK
and be kind to her today.” Thanks to the joy on my daughter’s face when she was with Crystal and the incredible bond they formed, my fears subsided. I am so grateful for Crystal’s gentle spirit.
This issue is all about beloved animals. Learn more about Dolly and Millie, the dogs that won our cover contest on page 22. Meet George, a Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show winner from Tupelo on page 28. Read heartwarming stories about pets that have been returned to their homes, and a place that provides a new home for senior
dogs on page 34. And while most wouldn’t consider the exotic animals at Safari Wild in Como (on page 40) to be “pets,” they have definitely captured the hearts of owner Ricky Garrett and the many visitors to his growing safari experience.
Thank you for reading!
Mary Katherine with her horse, Crystal.
PUBLISHER
Rachel West
EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Emily Welly
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Leslie Criss
EVENTS EDITOR
Carleigh Harbin
FOOD EDITOR
Sarah Godwin
COPY EDITOR
Ashley Arthur
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Jennie Lee
OFFICE
BUSINESS MANAGER
Hollie Hilliard
DISTRIBUTION
Allen Baker
Brian Hilliard
MAIN OFFICE
662-234-4008
ART
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Holly Vollor
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Joe Worthem
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Austin Dillon
Jiwon Lee
Sandip Rai
Lisa Roberts
Jacqueline Savoy
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS
Abbey Edmonson
Frank Estrada
ADVERTISING ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS
Alise M. Emerson
Amber Lancaster
Leigh Lowery
Lynn McElreath
Moni Simpson
Whitney Worsham
ADVERTISING DESIGNERS
Paul Gandy
Markka Prichard
ADVERTISING INFORMATION ads@invitationoxford.com
To subscribe to one year (10 issues) or to buy an announcement, visit invitationmag.com.
To request a photographer at your event, email invitationmag.events@gmail.com
Invitation Magazines respects the many diverse individuals and organizations that make up north Mississippi and strives to be inclusive and representative of all members of our community.
PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE
COMING
UP IN OUR
COMMUNITY
AUGUST 2024
each worth $500. Tickets $15. 6 p.m., the Powerhouse. oxfordarts.com
Water WatermelonValleyCarnival
AUGUST 2-3
Water Valley’s biggest annual festival includes a Friday evening street party and fireworks in City Park and Saturday entertainment, food vendors, arts and crafts booths, contests, parades, an antique car show, a 3K run and more. watervalleychamber.com/watermeloncarnival
Sanctuary Arts Festival
AUGUST 2-3
Kick off the weekend with the Sanctuary Arts Festival reception Aug. 2 at 6 p.m. at Oxford Treehouse Gallery, 328 County Road 418. Then visit the pop-up gallery and storytelling at The Oliver Hotel, 425 S. Lamar, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. visitoxfordms.com
A Night for Nonprofits
AUGUST 6
The ninth annual Night for Nonprofits, sponsored by the Lafayette Oxford Foundation for Tomorrow (LOFT), will feature local nonprofits competing for the Crowd Favorite and Good Works awards,
Oxford on Skates
AUGUST 7 & 18
Free roller skating at Old Armory Pavilion. Bring your own skates. 3:30-5 p.m. visitoxfordms.com
Bit of the ’Sip
AUGUST 9-11
An Oxford drink and food weekend kicks off with the annual Iron Bartender contest on Aug. 9, followed by sessions on hospitality law, coffee, meats, wine and cheese, hot sauce and more on Aug. 10-11. Tickets and registration available online. oxfordarts.com
NerdVana Convention
AUG 16-17
Designed for gamers, comic enthusiasts, cosplayers, and nerds of all ages. Includes a “nerd prom” Friday starting at 5 p.m.; and Saturday festivities from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Complete schedule available online. Tickets $15 per day in advance; $20 at the door, the Powerhouse. oxfordarts.com
Oxford Wee-Cycle
AUGUST 17
Find children’s clothing, shoes, furniture, baby gear, toys and maternity items at this much-anticipated children’s consignment sale. The event kicks off with presale shopping Friday evening for volunteers and consignors. On Saturday, the sale is open to the public from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. (half-price sale from 5-7 p.m.) Free admission, Oxford Activity Center, 400 Price St. oxfordweecycle.com
Ole Miss Move-In
AUGUST 18-19
General move-in takes place Aug. 18-19; Panhellenic recruitment participants move in Aug. 13-15; and first year honors college, Luckyday scholars and students living in the Quarters move in Aug. 17. Classes begin Aug. 26.
studenthousing.olemiss.edu
Ole Miss Football
AUGUST 31
College football kicks off in Oxford. Ole Miss plays Furman at 6 p.m. at VaughtHemingway Stadium. olemisssports.com
NORTHEAST
Gumtree Exhibit
AUGUST 2-30
Glass blowing artist Thomas Spake exhibits his work. Opening reception Aug. 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit is sponsored by Linda and Ray Allen. Gumtree Museum of Art. gumtreemuseum.com
Dance Like the Stars
AUGUST 3
Local celebrities compete to raise funds for Boys and Girls Clubs of North Mississippi. 6:30 p.m., Cadence Bank Arena. bgcnms.org
Summer Market
AUGUST 13-15
Furniture experts from around the region gather at Tupelo Furniture Market for its 2024 Summer Market. tupelofurnituremarket.com
Boy Scout Clay Classic
AUGUST 16-17
The Natchez Trace Council of Boy Scouts of America puts on its 30th annual Clay Classic plus the Elite Eagle Shoot. Camp Yoconoa, Randolph. natcheztracecouncil.org/clayclassic
Down on Main Concert
AUGUST 17
Downtown Tupelo Main Street hosts a free concert. 6-9 p.m., Fairpark, Tupelo. tupelomainstreet.com
Jamey Johnson Concert
AUGUST 18
Jamey Johnson’s “What a View” tour comes to Tupelo, with special guests Charles Wesley Godwin and Emily Ann Roberts. Tickets from $22. 7 p.m., Cadence Bank Arena, Tupelo. cb-arena.com
“A Few Good Men”
AUGUST 22-24
TCT stages “A Few Good Men.” Tickets, $25 adults; $10 students. 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, the Lyric. instagram.com/tctlyric
Latte Art Throwdown
AUGUST 24
Lost + Found Coffee hosts its fourth annual Latte Art Throwdown competition with baristas competing to show off their skills. Free admission for attendees; see website for information on registering to compete. 6 p.m., Lost + Found Coffee, Tupelo. lostandfoundcoffee.co/throwdown
SHOUTOUTS
In 2021, Alyssa and Steven Estes purchased 11 acres of farmland in Tupelo, just off County Road 1001. They sold their house in Mooreville and lived in a recreational vehicle on the property while they built their new home on the farm.
Today, Steven is a full-time farmer at the family’s Southern Layed Organic Farming.
The farm’s logo, designed by Steven, features four baby chicks bookended by a hen and a rooster. The chicks represent their blended family — 15-year-old Braxtn Harris, 13-year-old Bella Harris, 12-year-old Emma Estes and 10-year-old Elaine Estes.
Early on, the family opened its growing farm to the community, especially to kids, for fun and educational events. And they have plans for more of this in the future.
Recently, the Esteses received a check for $4,000 to help those plans come to fruition.
The couple are the 2024 winners of The Pitch, an annual small business competition the Community Development Foundation
Tupelo Couple Win CDF’s The Pitch
began in 2016.
A pavilion will be built to provide a place for children to gather to learn all about life on a working farm.
Other additions to the farm since its early days include an Airbnb known as The Coop, complete with farmfresh eggs, fresh honey, a botanical garden and fishing; hands-on educational workshops on baking homemade bread, gardening and more; and field trips for young people.
The couple planned to do The Pitch last year, but a family emergency kept them from participating. But this year, the Esteses were ready. They completed the steps — application, video and in-person pitch of Southern Layed.
Alyssa admitted there were times in the process she and Steven felt nervous yet confident.
“We are both so excited and happy,” she said. “Steven said for him, our winning The Pitch was a confirmation, a reassurance that we took the right path when we started this journey.”
Community Art Project Snakes Around Amory
Artist Melanie Harmon, an Amory native, was perusing Facebook in the days before the long, hot summer of 2024, when she became intrigued by a snake made of lots and lots of painted rocks.
Harmon’s not certain where that online snake slithered, but the idea had gone viral.
“I’m always looking for fun things for my grandchildren to do,” she said. “And this seemed like a great art idea.”
She shared the concept online, and it took off in the Amory community.
“My neighbor called to tell me she had the perfect rock for the snake’s head,” Harmon said.
Harmon painted the head, adding some glue-on wiggle-eyes and a forked tongue made from some waterproof foam material.
She took it to the walking trail at McAlpin’s Lake, placed it, and Amory’s Roscoe the Rock Snake was born.
Since then, kids and adults alike have painted rocks of multiple sizes and shapes and added them to Roscoe.
In early June, someone counted nearly 300 rocks, and Roscoe continued to grow through the summer.
“I’m excited about it,” Harmon said. “I’m trying to think of a way to end the summer, like perhaps a rock hunt with all the rocks. Maybe we can come up with another art project for the community for next summer.”
Roscoe the Rock Snake has his own Facebook page administrated by Harmon’s daughter, Brittni Harmon Edwards.
SHOUTOUTS
Oxford Therapist and Her Canines Help Kids
At Playful Paws: Counseling and Play Therapy for Kids and Families, Dr. Jennifer Main often is assisted by her shelties.
Main, a licensed professional counselor supervisor, registered play therapist supervisor, board-certified telemental health therapist and certified animal assisted play therapist supervisor and instructor, has integrated a dog into play therapy since she began as a therapist 17 years ago.
Today, her helpers are 11-year-old Rook, a semiretired Animal Assisted Play Therapy (AAPT) dog who is registered with Love On A Leash therapy dog group; and Jax, a 1½ year old in the process of becoming a certified AAPT dog.
“In 2007, while interning with a licensed therapist who integrated dogs into play therapy, I got my first sheltie, Uno,” Main said. “Uno and I began training — me to become a registered play therapist and Uno to become a registered therapy dog. Over the years, I have raised and trained four registered therapy dogs — Uno, Tonka, Rook and Jax. Rook was notably the first approved play therapy dog at Ole Miss.”
“I am very intentional about how I pair the child and dog together, ensuring a good fit based on the dogs’ different temperaments and personalities as well as the child’s clinical needs.”
Learn more at playfulpawsoxford.com.
MEET OUR COVER WINNERS
Mary Huffstatler is no stranger to Old English Sheepdogs — she grew up with one.
“When my husband Britt and I started having children,” she said. “We thought an Old English Sheepdog would be a good fit for our family.”
Enter Millie.
Eight-year-old Millie hails from Chattanooga, Tennessee, but for most of her life, home has been in Pontotoc with the Huffstatlers and their three kids, 17-yearold Greta; 11-year-old Haegen; and 7-yearold Hudson.
“Millie is an 80-pound lap dog,” Mary said. “She’s a go-with-the-flow dog. And she’s quiet, not very vocal.”
Millie also has good manners.
“She always looks at us for permission
AHere’s Dolly
lex Blackburn developed a love of basset hounds years before she had her own. Her grandmother had bassets, as did the owner of The Barn, a now-closed feed and seed business in Oxford.
“The basset’s name at The Barn was Tater, and I just loved him,” Blackburn said. “They are just kind animals, and also the dopiest and cutest.”
Oxford native Blackburn and her Alabama-raised husband Zack, have Dolly the basset hound; Livy, a 15-year-old terrier mix; and until last year, another basset named Waylon.
When 3-year-old Dolly was recently named winner of the 2024 pet contest, the Blackburns were joyfully surprised.
“I told Zack there were so many entries of so many beautiful dogs and we shouldn’t get our hopes up,” Alex said. “Then Dolly was a finalist, and we were so excited when she won.”
Meet Millie
to get on the bed or the couch,” Mary said. “Even though she knows she can get anywhere she wants. She is pretty much queen around here.”
Because there aren’t too many Old English Sheepdogs in these parts, Millie is pretty well known. Encouragement to cast votes for Millie came from all across the Huffstatler spectrum — co-workers, friends and other family members, especially Britt’s parents.
“When we go out of town, my motherin-law and father-in-law keep Millie,” Mary said. “And she loves to visit them.
When Millie won, there was excitement aplenty from all who know this furry friend.
“We were all so happy,” Mary said. “Especially the kids. They were whooping and hollering with excitement.”
The Blackburns have no children and consider their pups their kids. And like most proud parents, they admit their bias.
The Pontotoc-born Dolly was the last of her litter left, and the Blackburns got lucky.
“Zack believes she is perfect,” Alex said. “She loves food and snuggles. She loves to go on walks. After her walks, she goes to the bedroom on her own and naps. She loves to howl and chase birds.”
Dolly and Livy are good friends. In fact, Dolly has never really met anyone — pet or person — she doesn’t like.
“Oh, my gosh,” Alex said. “Dolly gets along with everyone. We think Dolly is why Livy has lived so long. She is definitely a big Daddy’s girl — Zack is her person.”
Basset hounds are often described as “slow and plodding.” Dolly is an exception.
“Dolly is the most athletic basset hound in the world,” Alex said. “She is so fast. Yes, we are biased. But she really is perfect.”
CAESAR PASTA SALAD
FRESH CAESAR DRESSING, CRUNCHY ROMAINE LETTUCE AND GRILLED CHICKEN PACK A PUNCH IN THIS PASTA SALAD.
RECIPE BY SARAH GODWIN | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM
This meal hits almost all the food groups, and it features a Caesar dressing made with Greek yogurt which brings added health benefits and intensifies the tang. Especially perfect for hot late summer weather, try it for lunch or a simple supper any day of the week.
CAESAR PASTA Salad with GREEK YOGURT
Caesar Dressing
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
2 anchovy fillets, mashed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 cup uncooked shell or elbow pasta
4-5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
Grilled or rotisserie chicken, chopped or sliced
For dressing, combine Greek yogurt, anchovies, garlic, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined, and set dressing aside.
Fill a medium saucepan with water, and bring to a boil over high heat; add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes; drain. Set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. While pasta cools, put chopped romaine lettuce in a large bowl.
Toss cooled pasta with 1/2 cup dressing. Toss romaine with 1/2 cup dressing. Add pasta mixture and chicken to lettuce mixture, and toss to combine; serve.
Berners the Win for
THE COOKS, WHO HAVE LOVED AND RAISED BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOGS FOR YEARS, ARE THE PROUD OWNERS OF GEORGE, HOLDER OF A BEST IN BREED TITLE FROM THE PRESTIGIOUS WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB DOG SHOW.
WRITTEN BY
LESLIE CRISS | PHOTOGRAPHED
BY
JOE WORTHEM
Kathy Kirk Cook remembers vividly the day she fell in love — not with a boy, but with a breed. She’d graduated from Vanderbilt, moved to Colorado and was waiting tables at a restaurant in Vail.
A couple seated in the eatery’s outdoor patio had their two dogs with them.
“They were the most well-behaved, majestic, beautiful dogs I had ever seen,” Kathy said. “My mind was not on waiting tables. All I wanted was to meet these dogs and talk to the people about them.”
A Southerner from birth, Kathy had never seen dogs like these before. Bernese mountain dogs are more a northern breed, but she decided that day, she would one day have a Berner.
In 1991, when she was on staff at Young Life Camp in North Carolina, she met another staffer, Kenny Cook from Georgia. They became friends and later began dating. In one conversation, a question arose: If you could have any breed of dog, what would it be?
“Before I could even offer my answer, Kenny quickly voiced his preference — Bernese mountain dog,” Kathy said. “I couldn’t believe I had heard those words come from his mouth.”
The two married in 1992. Not long after, Nashville became home while Kenny attended Vanderbilt to become a nurse practitioner. It was there the Cooks got Bunson, their first Berner, about the same time they had their first child, Haley. From Nashville they moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, where their son Noah was born, and finally to Tupelo, where Kathy’s father was ill. Continued on page 30
“I wanted the kids to know Dad better while he was still with us,” she said.
When Kathy had seen her first Berners, she was initially attracted by their looks, but, as they started their young family, it was the breed’s temperament that was most attractive. They are exceptionally sweet dogs who love kids.
A downside of Berners is that their lifespan is typically only about 8 years. Bunson was almost 10 when they lost him to malignant histiocytosis, an extremely aggressive form of cancer and a major cause of death for Berners.
With broken hearts but still lovers of the breed, the Cooks began a deep dive into researching the health issues of Bernese mountain dogs.
“So many of their health issues are genetic, so it is paramount to get a puppy from someone who is very careful about breeding healthy dogs,” Kathy said.
Doing their research, the Cooks learned about preservation breeders — those who work to sustain and safeguard the health of their breed so that its existence continues. Their careful research also led them to Virginia to pick up a Berner puppy named Maggie.
“We thought we might want to breed these dogs, and we quickly found that a good breeder is going to first be very careful about to whom they sell their best puppies, and secondly, that they are going to want you to show that puppy, ideally to its championship, before breeding it,” Kathy said. “Well, I had never even been to a dog show at this point. But, we agreed, and signed a five-page contract, and brought Maggie home.
“With a lot of help from many kind people, I learned to show Maggie and made a lot of friends in the dog show world.”
Maggie lived just shy of age 10, having had one litter of five beautiful pups, three of which stayed in Tupelo and were loved by great families.
From her time going to dog shows, including Westminster, as a spectator, Kathy had fallen in love with a dog from New Jersey named Timer and a girl named
Bernerfest
There aren’t a lot of Bernese mountain dogs in the South, but Kathy and Kenny Cook have tried to connect with as many as possible.
Since 2014, a regular gathering of Berners and their humans has taken place in Yalobusha County at the Cook family farm, Quail Hill. It’s either in October or November when it’s cool enough for the dogs to play. The congregation of canines has also been hosted
in Oxford by Joanne Oliver and Gary Wright, who have three Berners.
It’s a fun Sunday afternoon when the people, over wine, cheese and snacks, swap Berner stories and get to know one another.
“When the dogs get out of the cars and recognize they are all Berners, they have a ball,” Kathy said. “We call it our Bernerfest.”
Scarlett, who was from a breeder in Canada whom she had long admired.
“To me, to get one of those puppies would be like getting a foal out of Secretariat,” Kathy said. “Out of nine puppies, there was one special boy left, and we got lucky enough to get him.”
Three days before Christmas, Kathy and Haley drove to New York City to pick up George.
“He was a beautiful puppy, but we didn’t know yet if he would turn out to be a great show dog. But when he grew up a little and we started getting him to shows, he won almost everywhere we entered.”
Then COVID shut everything down, just as George was about to come into his own. But in the spring of 2021, George was entered in a huge show in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his new handler, Lenny Brown, one of the best in the country. All of the top Berners were at this show, including the reigning Westminster winner for the breed.
“We were shocked when George won either first or second place four days in a row, against Westminster-level competition,” Kathy said.
When George won Best of Breed in that show, he advanced into the Working Group, and this show was televised. So, Kathy was given a media form to complete for the announcers to have information about George when he was on camera. As a young, not very seasoned contender, George did not have much information on his media card.
“There was just not a lot to put down,” Kathy said. “So, we went big on Tupelo.”
George’s media card read: George is from Tupelo, Mississippi. Birthplace of Elvis.
“The announcers loved that,” Kathy said.
Three months later, George showed at Westminster.
“We applied and got in,” Kathy said. “It’s limited to 2,500 dogs and 31 of the top Berners in the country were there. We didn’t really have any expectations that he would win, just hoping he might be in the ribbons.
“Kenny and I hid so George would not look for us in the crowd. When the judge pulled George out first, we couldn’t believe it was real.”
It was real, and there are photos to prove that GCHS CH Greenway’s Divine Prince George won Best of Breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2021 and was on TV that evening representing the Berners in the Working Group.
The 120-pound George is 6 ½ years old now, and while he is mostly retired, he still gets out to an occasional show.
“He’s already accomplished more than we had ever hoped,” Kathy said. “He enjoys being a spoiled rotten member of our family these days, and we are glad to oblige.”
Above, George being shown at Westminster. At right, George as a puppy in a photo shared on social media by Westminster Kennel Club following his win.
Coming Home
A LOST DOG RETURNS TO HIS FAMILY. AN ORGANIZATION ADOPTS AND CARES FOR SENIOR DOGS. A PUPPY SURVIVES IN THE COLD AFTER A CAR WRECK. HERE ARE JUST A FEW HEARTWARMING STORIES ABOUT LOCAL PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER TO HELP PETS IN NEED.
WRITTEN
BY
LESLIE CRISS | ILLUSTRATED
BY
ABBEY EDMONSON
Community helps find lost pup
Like many students who venture far to attend Ole Miss, Isabelle Janney of Luray, Virginia, toured the campus and fell in love with it. After three years in Oxford, the English major graduated May 11, 2024.
Parents, siblings, grandparents, other relatives and friends arrived in Oxford to celebrate and attend Janney’s graduation. Traveling along with her parents was Roo, the family’s 3-year-old Australian shepherd.
When the family went to dinner the night before graduation, Roo stayed behind in Janney’s apartment. But when the family returned, Roo had been unintentionally let out of the apartment and was missing.
Heartbroken, Janney and her family covered the city of Oxford by car, calling Roo’s name over and over. Posters emblazoned with the blue-eyed pup’s photograph were placed on poles and social media outlets aplenty.
With their furry, four-legged family member missing, Janney’s commencement day joy was tempered by a profound sense of sadness.
In the days after becoming a graduate of Ole Miss, Janney and her family were astounded by the outpouring of compassion from the citizens of Oxford.
“People came out of the woodwork to help us search,” Janney said. “My phone rang off the hook with strangers overjoyed to report Roo sightings.”
Those same strangers in Janney’s adopted community came together to offer drones, humane traps and tracking dogs to assist in the search for Roo.
For eight days, Roo remained lost. Most family members returned to Virginia, but Janney’s parents, Monica and Marc Janney, stayed in Oxford to search. Help from the people of Oxford remained constant.
Family members in Virginia returned to Oxford in Marc Janney’s truck, a favorite space for Roo. On the evening of May 17, Janney’s dad took his truck to a field where several Oxford residents had reported seeing Roo. He left the truck doors open and game cameras on the truck.
“We left, hoping Roo might return to the vehicle he knew best,” Janney said. “At 5:30 a.m., Saturday, May 18, Roo hopped into the truck and waited to be taken home, in good shape, but very dirty.
“No words will ever be able to express the gratitude my family and I have for this community and its people for their concern for a dog they didn’t even know.”
Continued on page 36
Marc and Isabelle Janney with Roo
Roo and Isabelle Janney
Couple opens hearts & home to senior dogs
When Susan and Neal Cox met, they realized they had common interests. They also discovered they shared an intense passion for animals.
The couple, now married 10 years, has put their passion into action.
“In 2014, we started fostering dogs,” Susan Cox said. “I always had a heart for senior dogs, especially since becoming aware of how senior dogs get left behind — for multiple reasons: Their care gets expensive, people don’t want them anymore or they want younger dogs.”
Her love for seniors comes at least in part from her parents who were in the eldercare business 35 years.
Euley, a blind and deaf Yorkie from Oxford, was the first senior dog to call Ol’ Hank’s Place home.
“We were beside ourselves,” she said. “We were so new at caring for a senior dog, but we fell in love with this dog who was 15 when he came to us. He lived for two years, and he thrived. We gave him so much love and learned so much.”
After Euley, the couple wanted another senior dog to foster. And then there were six.
“Finally, we realized maybe we should
do something — maybe this is a thing, this making a home for senior dogs,” Cox said.
And Ol’ Hank’s Place in Holly Springs was officially in business. The nonprofit is supported by fundraising. It’s named for a beloved mini labradoodle long loved by the Coxes. Hank was adopted from the Memphis Animal Shelter by Susan when he was just 6 months old. He lived to be 16. It was while Susan and Neal cared for Hank in his senior years that they first began to develop the idea to start a sanctuary for senior dogs.
“Neal and I run on complete faith,” she said. “We’re not rich, we both have full-time jobs, and sometimes we say, ‘Oh, wow, how are we going to fund things this month?’ We say prayers all the time, and honestly, the money just comes. It’s always just enough.”
The largest expense is veterinary care for the senior pups. The Coxes spare nothing with health care.
Some of the dogs come to them from shelters, where sick seniors have been relinquished by owners. A few of their fosters lived only a month or two, but in their final days, they had fine food and lots of love, rather than dying alone in a shelter.
Aria was only 5 and diagnosed with bladder cancer when she came to live at Ol’ Hank’s Place. Though early scans showed a mass, another veterinarian surprisingly found no sign of the cancer.
Job is a 14-year-old German shepherd who came to Ol’ Hank’s three years ago rather than being euthanized for being old.
“He’s missing hair, looks like he did three tours in Vietnam, but he’s still living, still going,” Cox said.
The Coxes have also facilitated senior humans in fostering their senior dogs for as long as they are able, and they have taken their dogs to visit nursing home residents.
Well over 100 dogs have been helped by Ol’ Hank’s Place, and these days, 21 seniors call it home. The Coxes continue to make plans for the future of their passion.
“There are times we look at one another and don’t know if we can keep on doing this any longer,” she said. “We have cried some tears. It’s hard to be in the trenches and do the work. But the good outweighs the bad. Our life is this rescue.”
Learn more about Ol’ Hank’s Place and donate to the organization online at olhanksplace.org.
Continued on page
Susan and Neal Cox started the nonprofit Ol’ Hank’s Place to rescue senior dogs in need of a loving home and proper care. Ol’ Hank’s Place is currently home to 21 senior dogs.
With prayers aplenty, poodle pup survives wreck, ice & snow
On a cold morning in January, with a winter storm slated to begin late in the afternoon, Randy Leister, his 17-yearold daughter Emily and her 5-month-old standard poodle pup Kiffin left Oxford at 6 a.m. heading to Kentucky to pick up a new horse. They thought they could beat the predicted precipitation back home. They made it to Kentucky, picked up the horse and headed for home. At 1:30 p.m., the sleet came early. Just after 2 p.m., Emily’s mom Tiffany was driving home
from Batesville when she found out there had been in an accident.
“They hit black ice on a bridge and the truck rolled over, landing upside down,” Tiffany said. “Miraculously, the horse trailer remained upright.”
A nurse practitioner, Tiffany could hear shock in the voices of her husband and daughter, but neither was seriously injured. When she arrived at the scene of the accident, minutes from the family’s home, she could not see her daughter. But she heard her.
“After we were helped out of the truck, I just started screaming for my dog,” Emily said. “Some Ole Miss student who stopped to help gave me a pair of muck boots to put on. They were size 12.”
No one knew if the dog had made it to the woods or was crushed under the truck.
“Angels were all over the place,” she said. “Calm, cool Casey Daniels held the horse, who would have died if the trailer had flipped; Rex Holloway and Emily Smith came and took the horse to our farm.”
The search for Kiffin continued until 10 p.m. No one in the family got much sleep. They prayed a lot. At 6:30 a.m., the family, each with a standard poodle wearing wash cloths, Ziploc bags and duct tape on their paws for protection, continued the search.
“We thought the dogs might be able to help find Kiffin,” Emily said. “My brother said he had just prayed for help finding my dog, and when he finished his prayer, Kiffin — the only dog we have that howls — howled twice.
“(He) couldn’t really see her at first; she looked like an ugly, frozen, wet rat and just blended in with the woods.”
A trip to Animal Clinic of Oxford brought good news — after 19 hours in the wet and freezing cold, Kiffin was amazingly well, just hungry and dehydrated.
“It was the worst 19 hours of our lives,” Tiffany said. “But it is all such a testament to God’s grace.”
Emily Leister with Kiffin
CALENDAR | NOTEWORTHY | RECIPES | FEATURES | EVENTS | GOOD NEIGHBOR
Out of Africa
A FAMILY-OWNED SAFARI PARK AND PRESERVE IN COMO OFFERS OPEN SPACE FOR HUMANS AND ANIMALS TO MEET.
WRITTEN BY LESLIE CRISS | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM
Perhaps you’ve always dreamed of going on an African safari, but, at the moment, such a trip doesn’t realistically fit your budget or your schedule.
If a day trip seems more suitable, there’s a place within a 30-minute to an hour drive from just about anywhere in north Mississippi where you can pretend you’ve flown 7,138 miles and have just arrived, jetlagged, on the continent of Africa.
Safari Wild Animal Park and Preserve is a 467-acre park in Como, a town that borders the flat Mississippi Delta while being a part of Mississippi Hill Country. It opened in 2018.
Como, with its population of 1,570 people in 2022, also is home to Como Steakhouse and Home Place Pastures, both known far and wide. It’s on the Southern Literary Trail, proudly claims native son Stark Young — playwright, novelist and painter — and is known for being the home of Hill Country blues.
Safari Wild is a dream realized for Ricky Garrett, co-owner of the animal park and preserve with Brooke Garrett, his wife of 28 years, and their half-dozen kids — Blake, Madison, Reagan, Eli, Sloane and Bailee.
“Honestly, I’ve been dreaming about this since I was 10 years old,” he said. “I was born with a natural love for animals, and it grew into a great passion of my life. We started looking for land when we were engaged. I knew in my mind all along it was going to happen, but getting here has had its challenges.”
The COVID-19 pandemic was not one of them. But a case of West Nile was.
“The pandemic was horrible for the
country,” Garrett said. “But for us, as people got tired of having to stay inside, carloads of people would visit and spend time with the animals on the driving tour.”
Last year, Garrett was ill and ended up in a nine-day coma. Only after he woke from his long sleep did he learn that West Nile virus had gone to his brain. There was some paralysis, the use of a walker for three months and a fairly lengthy recovery period.
“My faith and my family are what got me through it. I’m grateful God gave me another chance at life.”
Brook Garrett, a native Californian, signed on early to support and encourage her husband’s dream. The couple found and purchased the acreage 13 years ago and began the long, arduous process of preparing the land for the preserve.
Memphis-born, Garrett still claims Mississippi as home, having lived in Hernando and Independence before ending up in Como.
There is a lot to do while spending a day at the park, including a 6.5-mile drivethrough of the authentic African safari
park and wild animal preserve, as well as a walk-through area. There’s a petting farm that includes goats, llamas, lemurs and more, including a large center exhibit and feeding station for a large flock of gorgeous, rainbow-colored lorikeets. The tree-dwelling birds have specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on berries and other soft fruits.
On the leisurely drive through the preserve, with multiple brown paper bags of feed close at hand, you’ll see and have the opportunity to meet and feed llamas, zebras, ostrich, donkeys, Ankole-Watusi (an African breed of cattle), addax (also known as white antelope and screwhorn antelope), and the second largest herd of Père David’s deer in North America. At some point, you will see Garrett’s favorite — the giraffes, that will bend their long necks and put their heads into your open window to eat gently from your hand. At present, five giraffes call the park and preserve home.
Garrett also designed an exhibit for a pair of cheetahs who live along the drivethrough route.
Added attractions are the black and white colobuses, Old World monkeys native to Africa, that are in their exhibit near the gift shop. That’s also where you’ll see the park’s giant tortoises — there are 10 — that can grow to 800 pounds each.
“I love the tortoises, and the colobuses are great, too,” Garrett said. “They are a very rare primate that are very expensive to keep and feed. I spend about $100 every day or two just buying fresh greens for them.
“The funniest thing: There’s a picnic table where we pour the greens on the top of the table. The colobuses will sit at the table like humans and eat. It’s hilarious to watch.”
Continued on page 46
Do the several hundred animals residing at the park have names?
“I can guarantee you my kids know all the animals by name,” he said. “We used to have camel rides. But I decided to sell the camels. My kids told me if I sold Achilles, they would all quit.”
Achilles now lives a camel’s best life roaming freely, the only camel in Como, on the preserve.
Garrett has seen his dream become a reality, but he is not resting on his laurels. He continues to make plans to grow and improve his family’s vision for their little chunk of Africa.
“We’ve been planning for rhinos since before we started,” he said. “But there’s a lot of preparation involved. We don’t plan a 50x50 piece of property for them: They need 10, 15 or 20 acres for living in the wild. But they are coming.”
Also in the plans for the family entertainment venue are overnight lodging and guided tours. Garrett has already purchased buses and is converting them to safari tour trucks.
“After you spend the night in your cabin, you’ll be picked up by your guide for the tour,” he said. “Then you’ll be brought to what we plan to call The Flamingo Cafe for lunch, and you can eat with the flamingos.”
“I am so looking forward to growing this longtime dream of mine.”
BLUE SUEDE CRUISE
The Blue Suede Cruise combines love of automobiles with the unique sound of rock ‘n’ roll. Car enthusiasts from across the country came to Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo May 3-5 for this much anticipated annual event.
PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE SAVOY
1. Bob Joslin
CHICKASAW INKANA FOUNDATION
The Chickasaw Inkana Foundation Legacy Awards Gala celebrated Native American life, history and culture at Cadence Bank Arena on April 25. It recognized community leaders with the distinguished Chickasaw Leadership Legacy Award too.
PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE SAVOY
1. Brad Dermas
2. Brady and Cristina Davis
3. Mitch Caver
4. Jagger Underwood and Abby Gaines
5. Doyce, Bill and Melanie Deas
6. Brent Greenwood
7. Elaine Copenhaver, David and Donna Rumbarger
8. Case Knight and Amy Tate
9. Dusk and Robin Monetathchi
10. Chad and Mika Brown
THE PEACEMAKERS
The Wives of Warriors hosted the ninth annual Blessed are the Peacemakers Law Enforcement Appreciation and Remembrance 5K May 18 in Tupelo. All proceeds were used to purchase body armor for officers in need.
PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE SAVOY
TORCH RUN FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS
The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics was held in downtown Tupelo on May 6. The event was hosted to show support for athletes traveling to the state games for Special Olympics held in Biloxi starting May 10.
Ramsey Meadow
5. Jacob Bland
6. Chris and Hillary Miles
7. Team Ethan King
8. Tishomingo County Special Olympics attendees 9. Jeff Bell
Christian Velazco
1. Team Payton Knight
Braxton and Cynthia Thomas 3. Katarsha White and Jeff Bell
TUPELO FARMERS’ DEPOT
The Tupelo Farmers’ Depot opening day celebration took place May
4. The market offers fresh, locally sourced produce, honey, baked goods, flowers and more. Located at 415 South Spring Street in Tupelo, the market is open Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon, through Oct. 26.
1. Kathryn Murff, Emily Funderburk and Summer Thomann
Amanda and Charles Scott
Terri and Larry Stewart
PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE SAVOY
Gary Snider
46TH ANNUAL GUM TREE 10K
The 46th annual Gum Tree 10K run, directed by the Tupelo Running Club, was held May 11. The race has been recognized by Runner’s World and Running Times magazines. Proceeds benefited the Tupelo Lee Humane Society.
1. Tucker Holmes, Hampton Macadory and Hailey Hagemann
2. Alexa Flemming and Landyn McMillian
3. Cindy, Clay and Candice Evans
4. Kailey Skaggs, Brooklyn Morgan and Hailey Wampler
5. Dawson, Matthew, Brewer and Alise Dill with Andrew, Ashlan and Nova Pierce
6. Molly Page, Bo Patterson, Wade Morris and Jackson Matthews
7. Mason and Leighanna Witt
8. Mac Wilemon and Charlie Farmer
9. Tucker and Coylyn Holmes
PHOTOS BY LISA ROBERTS
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
1. Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC) Radiology Class of 2024
2. Dr. Archer, Dr. Farabaugh, Dr. Farmer, Dr. Posey and Dr. Kalish
3. Katese Rutherford, Kim Jeffreys, Donna Walls and Katelyn Boren
4. Jennifer and Joyce Fowler
8. Jackson Boyd and Leah Will
9. Harley and Paige Gadd
Mississippi Rose Society Show
5. Melanie Denton, Michelle Johnson and Marissa Cummings
6. Grass Skirts band
7. Laura and Torrie Robertson
Midnite Pottery Spring Market
ELVIS PRESLEY’S PETS
FROM FAMILY DOGS TO EXOTIC ANIMALS, ELVIS PRESLEY HAD MANY PETS.
WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY LESLIE CRISS ILLUSTRATED BY FRANK ESTRADA
When folks speak of Tupelo’s famous son and the king of rock ‘n’ roll, they mention his Southern charm, his good looks, his music, his generosity and his kindness. It ought to come as no surprise Elvis Presley’s kindness extended to not only people, but also to members of the animal kingdom.
Did Presley have pets? You bet he did.
Of his early Tupelo years, there’s no mention of significant pets. But when Presley bought Graceland in 1957, along with nearly 14 surrounding acres, his parents had animals, but they were most likely not considered pets. His mother Gladys had chickens; his father Vernon raised hogs.
Presley had a turkey named Bowtie, and there’s no mention of Bowtie ending up on the family’s Thanksgiving table. A mynah bird, given as a gift to Presley, is said to have learned to repeat excuses it heard when the musician could not come to the phone: “Elvis is asleep. Elvis isn’t here.”
Australian fans sent a pair of wallabies, and a peacock or two showed up at Graceland. Presley donated these to the Memphis Zoo.
Plenty of pups became part of Presley’s
life: There was Champagne the poodle he got when in Germany; a collie named Baba; a basset hound named Sherlock; Brutus and Snoopy, a pair of Great Danes; a Pomeranian named Edmund; a chow named Get Lo for whom Presley leased a Learjet to fly for an emergency veterinary appointment in Boston; and dogs of unknown pedigree named Whoosh, Oswald and Michael Edwards, after Presley’s character in “It
“WHEN
THINGS GO WRONG, DON’T GO WITH THEM. ANIMALS DON’T HATE, AND WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER THAN THEM.”
Happened at the World’s Fair.”
Linda Thompson, whom Presley dated, visited a pet store with him once and spoke of his heart for animals after he bought all 20 dogs in the cages and gave them to friends.
Although Presley seemed to have a penchant for canines, he did have one cat named Wendell Corey, after his costar in the 1957 film “Loving You.”
