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.

  • Size and sensibility

    “Your dog needs to drop 3-5 pounds.” So began our first-ever private agility lesson with a handler who has been on the AKC world team. I thought Lilly looked great at 39 pounds, so I must have made a face because the next thing she said, dropping her sunglasses just enough to make eye contact, “This is agility, not conformation.”

  • Eulogy for my friend Jody

    Devastating grief compells me to go completely off topic today. I’m sad to report the suicide of a long-time friend. She was a brilliant, funny, most excellent woman, and I (and many others) are crushed by her loss. As my way of coping, I often draft a list of lessons I’ve learned from friends and family who have died. Here’s my list from Jody:

  • The sport of dog training

    People who do not know better talk about agility as a sport only for dogs, like the dogs run and work alone, like they magically do all these advanced behaviors without any input. Even friends and family seem amused (at best) at our continual pursuit of canine learning. At our peak, we took three classes a week (one obedience, one rally, one agility). I call them all “puppy class” as a recognizable phrase for Lilly, and maybe that’s where I go wrong.

  • Which came first?

    As our training saga went from days to weeks, weeks to months, months to (goodness help me) more than a year, people began asking me why I don’t just let Lilly stay home and get another agility dog to train and run competitively. It’s an interesting idea, which begs the question … Which came first, the dog or the sport?

  • Shifting expectations

    Maybe all new handlers think the same thing, but I honestly imagined Lilly could be quite an agility dog. Her early learning curve and performance astounded me. As time went on and difficulties mounted, reality forced me to adjust my expectations. The question lately … “How low can I go?”

  • Signs of trouble

    The first indications of trouble slid by me. I saw them, but I did not worry. Some I actually found endearing. Rather than stay by my side, she’d run to my coat like she was ready to leave, for example. It wasn’t until later that I realized my little sweetie, who is perfectly smart enough for agility, perfectly athletic enough for agility, might not be emotionally strong enough for the sport that captured my imagination.

  • The things people say

    Having a shy or fearful dog in public is a lot like walking around with a screaming 2-year-old. “Dog people” and even the general public make the same negative assumptions. Beyond the dirty looks come really mean comments disguised as helpful suggestions. Two, in particular, stand out because they are entirely untrue … and incredibly rude.