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.

  • Nosework Success Story, So Far

    About a year ago, I retired Clover from agility classes for both her physical and emotional health. That decision itself probably deserves a whole post at some point, but suffice it to say that the pandemic (among other things) helped me find clarity about Clover’s happiness and my own. Rather than the end of something, it marked a beginning. Clover and I started taking online nosework classes in December 2020. Each class lasted about 6 weeks. We did all our training as homework, just the 2 of us at home. We never took an in-person class. Then, this summer, we took the opportunity to test our progress at 4 events, and things went SO well. Amazing videos ahead, if I do say so myself.

  • Zen and the Art of Caring for Pets Book Review

    Donna Kelleher, DVM, is a holistic veterinarian who works in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Her most recent book Zen and the Art of Caring for Pets chronicles her career path and challenges with the demands of the veterinary profession itself and the pressures (and annoyances) caused by clients. Over the years, she worked in emergency / critical care and even for a veterinary practice purchased by a corporation. The book addresses the high rate of suicide among veterinarians (that I talked about recently in the post about how not to get fired as a veterinary client). Kelleher offers keen insights into how she practices veterinary medicine today — from cancer cases to chronic allergies and beyond. The 2 of us agree in many things. Some things in the book, though, I disagree with, doubt, and bring a heavy dose of skepticism too. She knows that based on our private conversations via email and encouraged me to write a book review anyway. So here you go.

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    Best Advice for Dogs with Skin Issues

    I still need to publish a real post about Mr. Stix’s full backstory, but this feels more pressing. For nearly 18 months, Mr. Stix’s permanent nakey spot (from unknown injuries before he was rescued, including 15 fractures and this big patch of coat missing) has featured several inflamed, peeling areas. Initially I tried to fix it myself at home with things like aloe vera, vaseline, a veterinary ointment called animax that the shelter had give us while we fostered him most of 2019, etc. It’s sort of a combination of steroids, antibacterial, and antifungal stuff. I took him to see our main veterinarian in spring 2020, when there was a 2-month wait to get into see a board-certified veterinary dermatologist. It has been quite a journey since then, and it’s nowhere near over. Here’s my best advice for dogs with skin issues.

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    How Not to Get Fired as a Veterinary Client

    I just finished writing an article about a crisis in veterinary medicine with the mental health and overall wellbeing of veterinarians and their veterinary hospital teams, driven in part by the increased demands for veterinary services and the increased abuse they face from cranky clients. Recently, I’ve also become aware of more and more people in my circle of dog lovers — online and otherwise — getting fired by various veterinary hospitals across the country. I find it hard to believe that ALL of these folks are being major jerks, but it seemed like an urgent need to discuss what’s happening, why, and how NOT to get fired as a veterinary client. Here are my best tips + a video explaining (sometimes ranting) about what NOT to do.

  • Liver Dog Treat Recipe

    I started ordering groceries online for parking-lot pick up long before the pandemic. Most of the time, the staff shoppers at our local grocery store do a good job getting me everything on the list. Sometimes, though, I get weird substitutions and don’t realize it until I get home. It’s a 45-minute drive each way from our place to the store, so going back to correct weird or missing items is a real pain. So, I make do or try to find something to do with what I get. Guess who ended up with pounds and pounds of LIVER recently? Rather that just giving the dogs cooked liver as a treat, I made up a liver dog treat recipe. Just winged it, and they turned out pretty well. See what you think.

  • Long Nose Legacy Book Review

    As a dog book reviewer, I maintain a short list of quirks — such as NOT liking books told from the dog’s point of view. So when J.G. Eastman asked me to look at Long Nose Legacy, A Dog’s Story of Royalty and Loyalty (a middle grade chapter book for kids ages 9-12) we shared a little back and forth about if I’d be annoyed by the narration in the book. Eastman explained, “It’s told in 3rd person, but the dogs do communicate with each other, and we hear their thoughts.” So, I gave it a try. Here are my thoughts.

  • CBD From Colorado – Suzie’s CBD Treats

    In my ongoing quest to support small businesses, I’m happy to share some intel on a *very local Colorado CBD company called Suzie’s CBD Treats. They sell both CBD-infused treats for pets and CBD tincture drops. As you may recall, we use a combination of CBD drops and an over-the-counter med (meclizine) for motion sickness since both Tori and Stix get car-sick because of our long, winding drive down the canyon, and this combo works WAY better than the expensive veterinary prescription med for car-sick pets. Let’s look at what makes products from Suzie’s CBD Treats special. [Hint: They even sell special peanut butter for dogs with CBD in it.]

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    When to Spay or Neuter Your Dog

    The veterinary profession continues to learn about the long-term health effects of surgeries done to prevent unwanted canine pregnancies. These insights help Dog Moms and Dads make better decisions about when to spay or neuter dogs. Simply put, our goals must bridge both reproductive protection and long-term comfort and health for the dogs we love. Researchers from UC-Davis looked at associated joint disorders, cancers, and urinary incontinence in 35 dog breeds and offered insights on making this important decision. In some cases, the best option may be leaving some dogs intact.

  • Big Barker Review Video (Dog Bed) and New Research

    Our youngest canine hero, Mr. Stix, has NOT been sleeping well for many weeks now. We needed some fresh ideas, then along came some new research from Big Barker dog beds done at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Clinical Investigations Center. Here’s why our little dude needed a new bed and how it’s working so far. Don’t miss the end of the Big Barker review video — so doggone funny.

  • Book Review You Know Your Dog Loves You Because

    If you need a good giggle about some of the silliest (and, yes, documented by science) ways dogs prove their love for us in every day life, check out our book review! You Know Your Dog Loves You Because … by writer Jeff Parks and illustrator Mark Sean Wilson might make a good gift for your loved ones of all ages. Here’s why. [Also, news about our Mr. Stix at the bottom of the page.]