Kimberly J Egan
Bio
Welcome to LoupGarou/Conri Terriers and Not 1040 Farm! I try to write about what I know best: my dogs and my homestead. I'm currently working on a series of articles introducing my readers to some of my animals, as well as to my daily life!
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Stories (112)
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Reaching One Hundred!
One hundred. Wow. Let me say that again. One hundred. It's a round number, not a huge number, but somehow, I find myself impressed by myself. Oh, sure, when I was a student at university, I cranked out dozens, if not hundreds of papers as an English/psych undergrad and a "professional writing" grad. And I generated close to 700 articles when I worked for an SEO company, using their titles and topics. One hundred stories is a drop in the bucket compared to that number, right? Wellll, yes. Sort of. These stories, as few as they are, are a modicum of ME, of my essence being distilled and put forth for other's consumption. Every time I hit the "publish" button, there's a scarycreepyhappy feeling that makes me want to rush and hit "DELETE, DELETE, DELETE!"
By Kimberly J Egan6 months ago in Petlife
Taking a Moment for Peace. Top Story - September 2025.
Things have been wild in the world lately. Good news, bad news, news of riots, of shootings, of war, and of other forms of seemingly unending violence. As a person who has chronic depression paired with anxiety, sometimes it all gets to be too much. When these things get overwhelming, I feel myself shutting down, pulling away from the world--which is why I have my dogs and my garden and my goats and all of the little things that get me away from the hustle and bustle of society. The "peace" I give myself in my sheltered patch of ground has nothing to do with the antonym "war." Rather, it has to do with the inner peace that comes from a quiet mind. The peace that allows me to find contentment with "the little things" that make up the bulk of my daily life.
By Kimberly J Egan6 months ago in Psyche
I've Been Doing a Little Bird Listening with Merlin Lately
Many moons ago, I lived a stone's throw from Kennesaw Mountain (Kennesaw, GA). The mountain was not only a wonderful historical spot to visit, but the trails and the road to the summit were both outstanding birdwatching locations. Almost every weekend, I'd take Beau and my binoculars and see what kind of birds I could add to my life list. It was particularly exciting to go birdwatching during March and September, as we were right on the migratory path. I even created a small stir in local birding channels once, by spotting an Oregon Junco (a variety of dark-eyed junco) on one of my hikes. And then, I moved.
By Kimberly J Egan6 months ago in Petlife
Welcome home, Buddy!
Nota Bene: At no time in this blog am I implying that his breeder did anything wrong with Val/Valen/Buddy. He was not abused in any way, shape, or form. Looking at his history, he was a happy, loved, and well-cared-for dog who was simply removed from his safe environment when he was an adult. That can be VERY scary for any dog. Something spooked him when the inciting incident occurred. What it was, we will never know--dogs don't perceive things the same way that people do. I am only sharing his story because I'm so very proud of how he has progressed. The breeder is to be commended for a program that produced such a resilient dog.
By Kimberly J Egan6 months ago in Petlife
Checking in on Yaddle's Puppies
Anyone who has been following my stories for a little while probably knows Yaddle's story. She's a beautiful Teddy Roosevelt Terrier whose accident as a puppy left her brain injured and emotionally stunted. Because I knew that her lack of terrier attitude was not genetic, I felt as if I wanted to breed her, just once, to let her contribute to my gene pool. She had a lot of positive traits going for her and, I believed, I could give her emotional support if the puppies got to be too much for her.
By Kimberly J Egan7 months ago in Petlife
Steele Does 'Gility!
For several years, now, I've been looking for a dog that I can do agility with. Not just a dog who likes to run and thinks the equipment is fun. I had that with Badger for a long time. However, even before he lost his eye, Badger didn't have the drive that a good agility dog needs to succeed in the ring. That is, Badger loved "doing" agility, but achieving titles was pretty much beyond our expectations. In addition, the few times that I brought him to trials "for exhibition only" Badger was fascinated by anything that was not agility equipment. In part, it was his way of telling me that there's limitations on training on half-sized equipment on a rural lot. Even more than that, he was telling me that he was not my agility dog, no matter how much I love him. He was telling me that it was time to retire him completely and pass the baton to the next generation, as I had already decided in terms of obedience. I could live with that. Badger has taken me farther in competition than I had ever hoped to go. He needs a good, long, happy retirement.
By Kimberly J Egan7 months ago in Petlife
This Time, Yaddle Says "YES!"
July 17, 2025 Anyone who has been reading my stories for a while knows that I am a preservation breeder of Toy Fox Terriers and Teddy Roosevelt Terriers. Some of you might remember that last year, starting in March, I had made plans to breed my precious Yaddle. I left her with "Mama Kathleen" in Texas after she and I attended the United Dog Owners Group (UKC) show in Longview. As soon as she came into heat, a mutual friend and Teddy breeder was going to bring her stud to Kathleen's place and he and Yaddle would, um, jump the broom, so to speak. Unfortunately, few activities have such a high plan failure rate as dog breeding. The tryst never happened and we made alternate arrangements. And, due to that high plan failure rate, Plan B also failed to come to fruition.
By Kimberly J Egan8 months ago in Petlife
Genetic Health Testing
Every so often, I like to come back to the idea of genetic health testing. There's so much to talk about that I'm certain this won't be the last time. Health testing is a big deal in dog breeding. Before we had access to canine DNA, breeders were trying to improve breed health through hip x-rays and cardiac/stress testing, usually performed in a veterinarian's office and eye/vision and ear/hearing tests, often performed at dog shows. Careful pedigree analyses were made to prevent or at least reduce inbreeding. Conscientious breeders avoided pairing dogs with extreme body types or visible flaws. Pedigree research can still give us a better understanding of where certain traits were established and of what recessive genes might be lurking, undetected due to markers not yet being established for them, but understanding a dog's pedigree is now only part of being a responsible and ethical breeder.
By Kimberly J Egan9 months ago in Petlife
In Memoriam: Leela
Look! Look well, O wolves! My heart is heavy with the things that I do not understand. The gentle Leela, last of her line, has passed unto the ages. She races hot-foot to join her Ancestors. Beau greets her patiently and wisely as she takes her place in the pack. Youthful again, swift, and happy, she leaves us behind without a whimper. She is home.
By Kimberly J Egan9 months ago in Petlife
My New Faucet
Yesterday, I installed a new kitchen faucet, a three-hole model with a big, beautiful spout that arches high above my sink. I know, I know. In DIY parlance, I "replaced" my old faucet, a cheap, leaky model with no aerator that held its head low in apparent shame. The point is, I used tools. Okay, I used A tool, known as a "basin wrench." I used plumber's putty. I managed to hook up the sprayer. All. On. My. Own. This blog isn't about bragging rights (cue Emperor Kuzco); rather, it's about what this faucet means in the grander scale of my life.
By Kimberly J Egan10 months ago in Humans
