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

I met Lisa Marshall from Estes Park, Colorado, during my big trip to New York City last month. Funny that we had to go across the country to meet. Anyway, she faces a challenge of being a dog-lover and a home chicken-raiser. She needs our help.

You see, Lisa wants to enjoy her mountain life (much like ours) with both her dogs and her chickens living  free on the old range, but the dogs need to learn NOT to harass the poultry.

Obsessed with the chickens, Lisa's dogs try to break into the chicken yard and have nearly eaten a bird or two that flew the coop.

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The quest to stay somewhat sane, more than healthy, and not to flabby includes eeking out time to take Lilly for our usual 3-mile walk as often as I can muster. Last week, while we stood roadside as two cars passed us (one each direction), Lilly up and killed a poor little ground squirrel. I felt terrible.

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Friday morning, Lilly flew from her crate to the dog pen to potty when she awoke.  A scent, however, derailed her morning routine. I could NOT for the life of me get her to stop sniffing one corner of the pen. She was intrigued. So, when she made a B-line for that same spot outside the pen after breakfast, I thought for sure we’d found a snake den or something worse. Imagine how happy I was, then, to see baby bunnies, not snakes.

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