As we approach the anniversary of the dog attack defendant taking a plea deal in the case of the 2 loose dogs attacking me and Mr. Stix (from behind, without warning) in November 2021, I saw some new dog attack statistics I wanted to share. The numbers are interesting, but they also are misleading. Let me explain why. The post The Problem With Dog Attack Statistics appeared first on Champion of My Heart ..read more

I wish I didn't need to think about training dogs to be careful around crutches, but real life does its thing. I went through our dogs' repertoire of behaviors and found some that prove helpful to me since I have many weeks / months ahead of me on crutches. Here are some prior dog behaviors that pay off if / when you get hurt. Cute videos, including one of a tiny Clover learning "go to place." Don't miss it! The post Training Dogs to be Careful Around Crutches appeared first on Champion of My Heart ..read more

With my recent fall, hospitalization, and orthopedic trauma surgery, I found myself both annoyed and amused at how the human medical staff often treated me like a VERY old lady. They even sent a social worker to ask me about my normal life, before the injury, such as if I could do things like bathe and dress myself, cook and feed myself, etc. Giggle-snort. I mean, yes, I'm kinda old, but I'm not THAT old. So this work from the Dog Aging Project at Texas A&M University to find ways to identify frail dogs caught my attention since chronological age alone isn't an effective enough predictor i ..read more

People often seem stunned that our home state of Colorado gets such huge snowstorms when other places in the country already see spring blooming. It's really quite common, though. Local weather people love to say, "You know, March is our snowiest month!" And, it's true. The worst was 2003 when we got huge storms back to back and were stuck at home for a week before we dug out by hand. This latest storm wasn't that bad, but still ... bad enough (for more than one reason). Here's our advice on how to keep dogs safe in snow. Plus, extra photos and videos of the storm. Jump to the very bottom for ..read more

I don't pretend to understand the complexities of Raman molecular urinalysis, but a study published in February 2024 looks at its use in detecting 4 common types of dog cancers, including lymphoma, urothelial carcinoma, osteosarcoma, and mast cell tumors. The idea that a quick in-office urine test might find cancer signatures is pretty exciting, so let's see what the researchers found. The post Detecting Dog Cancers appeared first on Champion of My Heart ..read more

I got news today (Feb 19, 2024) that my fellow Colorado author and border collie lover Leland Dirks died recently. It's such sad news, but I know that his beloved (late) border collie Angelo shepherded his crossing. As I often due upon the death of people I love and admire, I wrote a bit of a Leland Dirks tribute that I like to pretend he'd appreciate. The post 10 Things I Learned from Leland Dirks appeared first on Champion of My Heart ..read more

File this under entirely off topic. I planned to write about a new cancer test this week. However, no thanks to medical drama (both human and canine), I don't feel up to wading through the research. Instead, since it's about the time many New Year's Resolutions fail and since *nearly March is kind of the new January, here's an easy kale recipe I use all the time. It's perfect for people who don't like kale. I actually love it, as do my dogs. If you've ever tried to make kale chips and failed, then welcome to the club. This easy kale recipe made in a frying pan is much more forgiving than tryin ..read more

Despite a dismal cold and snowy weather forecast that more than came true and resulted in a bit of a dicey drive home, I ventured down the canyon to our hometown of Golden, Colorado, for the 4th annual Goldens in Golden event. It's one of the biggest gatherings of Golden Retrievers in the country. Photos and about 5 minutes of video ahead, including the cheering for the massive group photo at the end of the video! The post Goldens in Golden (My Hometown) appeared first on Champion of My Heart ..read more

It's 48 days until Spring. We got a full tank of gas, half a pack of M&Ms. It's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses. Bonus points, if you get that movie reference (edited a little to match our situation). I'm in a mood after spending nearly $100 for one bag of dog food last weekend. The post $100 Dollar Bag of Dog Food appeared first on Champion of My Heart ..read more

The graphic I found to modify for this post alone is worth the trouble. Cracks me up. Let's face it tummy problems in dogs are NO fun -- for them or us. So, it's pretty interesting that researchers at Texas A&M developed and validated a new diagnostic index that uses changes in a dog's microbiome to figure out if something is acute or chronic ... and eventually help find better treatments. I even answer the question, "How Does This Help Your Dog's Tummy Problems?" The post New Index for Tummy Problems in Dogs appeared first on Champion of My Heart ..read more