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April 12, 2017

April 13, 2017, marks the 10th anniversary of Champion of My Heart. No kidding. Our first blog post went live a decade ago. I’d been mulling the idea for a while, and on a bit of a whim, I tossed up the blog in a single day. So much has changed over the years. Thanks to those who’ve been along for the ride the entire time. Welcome to those who’ve joined us recently. Look how far we’ve come!! Let us know if there are new ideas or resources you’d like us to create.

Maybe it’s a good time to re-share some of the more important assets available to you on the site and to recap some milestones…

By far, the most popular section of Champion of My Heart is the Canine Relaxation Protocol audio files.

  • Free to download.
  • Easy to use.
  • They provide great support if you’re teaching a fearful (or behaviorally normal) dog to cope with the world.

For obvious reasons, we’re still quite famous for the life and death of Lilly, the blog’s original canine heroine. Losing such an amazing dog to an adverse rabies vaccine reaction remains almost too much to bear.

I was recently quoted in an AARP magazine (and shorter online) article about the money we spent trying to save her. 

In September 2014, Clover joined our family. It’s quite a story, if you haven’t read the 10-day saga of adopting her from more than 1,000 miles away. 

roxanne hawn, champion of my heart, dog blog, clover hawn

In June 2015, we published our first book based on the blog – Heart Dog: Surviving the Loss of Your Canine Soul Mate. It went to #1 on Amazon (in the pet loss category) during its first week. While I’m writing this post, I found that it had nearly cracked the top 10 again, nearly 2 years later.

#1 newly released pet loss book heart dog surviving the loss of your canine soul mate by roxanne hawn

You can buy the book a bunch of different places online (and in some stores). You can get autographed copies directly from me, if you like. Or, if you know of a veterinary hospital or other organization that wants to buy books in bulk (at a major discount), there’s an option for that too.

Yes, I’m pondering the next possible book.

In September 2015, Tori joined our family. That’s a cute story too, but much shorter. 

champion of my heart roxanne and tori

In January 2016, we lost our old boy, Ginko. We still desperately miss this sweet, mellow boy.  I look at some of his final photos (at nearly 16 years old) all the time.Roxanne and Ginko Hawn, champion of my heart, last photo 2016

In late 2016, we launched a line of cute t-shirts for dog lovers in a Zazzle store. (Honestly, this hasn’t been a success. I love the designs, though, and wear them all the time.)

Ah, well.

Last week, Tom and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. 

anniversary photo

Expanding and Protecting My Influence

Because of the success of the blog and the book (in addition to writing for national media about pet topics for SO MANY years), I’m getting more offers to do work as a “digital influencer.” That can mean a number of things:

  • Sponsored blog posts / product reviews
  • Invites to sponsor events
  • Special social media posts

You should know, however, that I turn down a majority of the offers
I get because it isn’t a good match for Champion of My Heart,
but more importantly, it isn’t a good match for YOU
(our loyal group of fans and readers).

Future Resources from Champion of My Heart

If there are resources you’d like to see us create or dog products you’d like us to review, please let me know in the comments section below.

About the Author Roxanne Hawn

Trained as a traditional journalist and based in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA, I'm a full-time freelance writer for magazines, websites, and private clients. My areas of specialty include everything in the lifestyles arena, including health and home, personal finance and other consumer interests, relationships and trends, people and business profiles ... and, of course, all things pet related.

I don't just love dogs. I need them in my life. Seriously.

  1. I lost my heart dog June 3rd, 2017. I purchased your book and it is very helpful. Thank you so much. My pain is stin inconsolable.

    1. Oh, Sherry. I’m so sorry to hear about your recent loss. These early days / weeks / months are SO hard. I’m glad to hear the book helped a little, but I’m so sorry for the grief you’re feeling.

      It will improve with time, but right now, you’re in the thick of it.

      Sending best wishes at this tough time.

  2. WOW! Happy anniversaries Roxanne. I hope you enjoyed them both. I wish you nothing but continued success with the blog, and in the marriage.

  3. Happy blogiversary! It’s been a long, often tough journey but your work over the years has meant a lot to many people — including me! I’ll be joining you back in the dog blogosphere again soon… it’s a whole different place now, isn’t it?

    1. Thanks, Edie! Great to hear that you’re jumping back into the fray of dog blogging. A lot has changed for sure. For one thing, I’m no longer posting 5 days a week. (ha ha).

  4. Congratulation on 10 years! I just wish two of them hadn’t been so heartbreaking for you. Here’s to the next 10 being happy and successful ones!

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