Bill Amend’s popular FoxTrot comic strip went to a Sunday-only publication schedule as of Dec. 31, 2006, announced Universal Press Syndicate.

In its place, The Valdosta Daily Times will be running a new daily comic strip, “Pooch Cafe.” The strip, created by Paul Gilligan, chronicles the tales of Poncho, the ringleader of a group of dogs that hang out at the “Pooch Cafe” to plot for canine dominance of the Earth.

Fox Trot’s Amend, who started the strip in 1988, stated that he is taking time to pursue other creative outlets.

“After spending close to half of my life writing and drawing FoxTrot cartoons, I think it’s time I got out of the house and tried some new things,” said Amend. “I love cartooning and I absolutely want to continue doing the strip, just not at the current all-consuming pace. I’ve been blessed over the years with a terrific syndicate, patient newspaper clients, and more support from readers than I probably deserve, and I want to assure them all that while I’ll be now a less-frequent participant on the comics pages, I’ll continue to treat my visits as the special privilege they are.”