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.

  • Canine Nosework Competition News

    Well, drat, friends. Clover finished the nosework competition last Friday, March 3, 2023, in Loveland, Colorado, with finding 6 of the 8 hides (in 5 searches), but you have to be PERFECT and all in ONE DAY to earn the NW2 title, so we’ll try again March 31 at a trial MUCH closer to home … and, in fact, the same location where Clover earned her NW1 on her first try at that level of nosework competition. Thanks to an expedited video process. We already have our videos to share. Here’s how it went.

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    Clients Fired from Veterinary Hospital, Revisited

    As we learn more about veterinary consolidation and veterinary non-compete clauses, it made me wonder what happens if people get fired as veterinary clients from a hospital or clinic that’s owned by a big veterinary corporation. If you’re banned by one, does that mean you’re banned by all facilities owned by that company? I asked around and got an interesting answer. Plus, don’t miss a peek at our latest partial litter of foster puppies (3 from a litter of 6) – photos and a video of them playing with Clover. Calling them the Birthday Bunch. Might name them all after CAKE.

  • The Problem With So-Called Common Dog Attack

    I explained before how often others’ words belittle or diminish a dog attack after it happens. Along with the ever-present “It could have been worse” from others, I received a note from animal control, telling me this was a “common dog attack.” That phrase sounded like “no big deal” to me, especially when paired with them disagreeing with my assessment that the dogs that attacked me and my youngest dog in late 2021 were dangerous. What is a common dog attack, anyway? I truly don’t believe this label on our experience is true. And, if it is, then beware because that means a crap-ton of dangerous dogs live in our communities. Here’s what I think.

  • Dog Broken Leg Cast Tips

    Starting with our very broken first foster puppy (now family member) Mr. Stix who arrived at our local shelter with 15 fractures — all four legs, his hips and his tail, we started specialize in fostering dogs who’ve likely been hit by a car or similar vehicle. For example, with Mr. Stix, we wonder maybe something more like an ATV since clearly the wreck didn’t kill him or cause any internal organ damage (that we know of). As we learned, though, from the unexpected death of foster puppy Dream from an undetected internal injury, no guarantees about how a dog broken leg situation will turn out. With so many injured dogs and puppies in our experience bank, I figured I’d share a few dog broken leg cast tips. Yep, that’s a keyword. Sorry it’s weird.

  • Veterinary Consolidation Continues

    I feel absolutely gutted to learn that yet another veterinary hospital we’ve used for 30+ years got gobbled up in veterinary consolidation. It’s the incredible facility (with doctors and others I consider friends) where we go for emergency and specialty care. When it got bought several years ago by one of the smaller veterinary corporations, I wasn’t thrilled, but I also consoled myself with the idea that at least they chose a smaller one. I imagined them banding together to fend off the veterinary consolidation giants. In December 2022, I learned they fell to the same huge company that also owns the general veterinary practice we use. It seems I cannot escape the long arm of NVA at least until someone bigger buys them too.

  • Coughing Dogs

    Sometimes a cough is more than a simple cough. It seems easy to chalk coughing dogs up to so-called “kennel cough,” but veterinary researchers continue to find additional and more complicated ways dogs end up coughing and coughing and coughing for longer than you’d ever expect.