Champion of My HeartA real-time memoir about life with a fearful border collie, by Roxanne Hawn

Thanks to my work, writing pet industry and pet consumer articles for magazines and online outlets, I interview lots of amazing people and pioneers. The latest one to catch my fancy? A cat named Bug, who hikes, canoes, and sometimes oversees events at her human companion’s veterinary practice (Westside Family Pet Clinic in Madison, Wisconsin).

OK, I might be a tad partial to Bug since that’s one of Lilly’s nicknames, but she is an awesome, awesome kitty. Observe. Read the rest of this entry »

Our friends at DoggieStylish, makers of designer dog collars and leashes, launched a new feature, where you can find oodles links to FREE online do-it-yourself projects.

Read the rest of this entry »

A terrific cartoon by Gemma Correll is making the rounds on Facebook. It shows a female party goer making friends with the host’s cat. It’s funny because it’s true. While taking pictures of a bulldog named Margie at the Colorado Authors’ League party Saturday, a fellow writer asked, “Why are you doing that?”

Read the rest of this entry »

Taking a week “off” is relative, of course, meaning mostly not owing drafts to clients. Other demands of life continue. HOWEVER, Lilly and I ventured to Boulder for dog training class with our dog trainer Gigi Moss … for the first time this year. I’ll tell you how it went tomorrow. Today? A video showing just how much Lilly loves her dog trainer.

Read the rest of this entry »

As promised, some agility humor for our dog training friends who already have earned or aspire to earn a Master Agility Champion title (MACH) with their dogs. Meet Chaos, a nationally ranked Labrador Retriever who TWICE had to earn her 20th and final double-Q to get her MACH #5. All this … at the age of 10.

Read the rest of this entry »

Fellow dog writer and dog blogger Peggy Frezon from Peggy’s Pet Place asked us to take part in blog book tour to promote her new book Dieting With My Dog: One Busy Life; Two Full Figures and Unconditional Love. I’m VERY good at keeping Lilly’s weight perfect, and I mean perfect. Even our veterinary nutritionist friend said Lilly had a perfect body condition. Me? As I mentioned last week, not so much. So, I asked Peggy a few questions about her weight-loss journey.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dangerous Instincts: How Gut Feelings Betray Us is a new book by Mary Ellen O’Toole, PhD, a former FBI profiler. She is a friend of a friend and was nice enough to offer these safety tips to people who love dogs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Allow me, please, a quick brag about that darling, darling husband of mine … who for the second time in his second try WON the first in class ribbon at the Colorado English Motoring Conclave (one of the biggest British car and motorcycle shows) for his custom 1951 Triumph Thunderbird.

They call the black ones “blackbirds.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Many thanks to my friends at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley for inviting me to their Q&A with Alexandra Horowitz, author of Inside of a Dog. Exhausted and weary from real life, I chose NOT to take notes. So, here are just a few tidbits.

Read the rest of this entry »

The girls of Champion of My Heart first “met” Ecco D’Oro, a passionate Spinone Italiano (Italian pointer) with a penchant for stealing underwear and snorkeling in the koi pond, when we reviewed Ecco’s human grandma’s book about a Native American artist named Quincy Tahoma.

"It's exhausting being this handsome."

The truth? We were a little sad that we were not the first dog-based book reviewers on the scene.

Since then, however, we’ve made friends via the blog, via email, and on Facebook with Ecco and his many, many dog friends … who collectively put the “Power of the Paw” into action every day through both virtual and real community efforts.

Read the rest of this entry »

Columbia University filmmaker Jed Cowley needs to raise $3,000 by September 6,  for post-production costs on his romantic comedy short film “Dear Dog, I Love You.” The movie features canine actor Paul Newman, a white basset hound rescued by Suzanne Fitch with Mid-Atlantic Basset Hound Rescue. He had been tied up in an abandoned garage.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is Bjorn ... the "baby"

A friend is facing a truly life-and-death medical emergency, so we’ve been pitching in with dog care around dinnertime while she is hospitalized and her family runs up and down the mountain. I am not a “Golden Retriever Person,” but after a few days with her three … I can see the appeal.

Read the rest of this entry »

A few times each year, since we launched the blog in April 2007, we receive fan mail that includes pictures of dogs that make us laugh because they look SO MUCH like our canine heroine. Here is the latest. A puppy named Devlin.

Read the rest of this entry »

OMD. A highlight of my NYC adventure was the chance to pop over to Staten Island and visit Sam and Marge from Marge Blog. It required a cab, a ferry, and a train, but to see magnificent Marge … I braved it. Look at me overcoming my big city fears!

One Tired Girl

I averaged just 3-4 hour of sleep a night while in NYC. Squeezing as much into my time there, staying up late to chat with my friend and hotel roommate, and simply being over-stimulated from all the people, noise, and activity, meant that I mostly lived on adrenalin and coffee.

My roommate had a 6 am flight, so she had to get up at 3 am. I tried to go back to sleep, but had very little luck.

So, I got up, got a little work done, got packed and headed out for my Staten Island Adventure earlier than expected.

I sent a text to Sam, once I was on the ferry @ 7:30 am, which was an hour earlier than we had planned (Sorry, Sam).

So, she hustled to finish her paper route and still managed to meet me at the train station by 8:30 am.

As I mentioned yesterday, I got to smooch on this terrific bomb dog at the ferry station. And, yes, I got to see the Statue of Liberty. (It’s much smaller than you would think. I’m sure everyone says that.)

Read the rest of this entry »

While waiting to take the ferry over to Staten Island on Sunday to visit Sam and Marge, I made friends with this big, meaty-headed boy named Dash. He is one of many bomb-sniffing dogs that work every day to keep tourists and commuters safe.

I wonder if people feel less nervous to have Labs sniffing their luggage, rather than a German Shepherd or a Malinois? I love me some herding dog, as you know, but I suppose a good, solid retriever seems more friendly.

What do you think?

Read the rest of this entry »