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 currently have dogs, cats, dairy goats, quail, and chickens--and in 2025--rabbits! Come take a look into my life!
Stories (45/0)
Ushering in the Next Generation
I love Badger, I really do. He has taught me how to be a better dog trainer. However, he's not an obedience dog. He loves to hunt rodents and birds. He loves agility. He loves doing tricks. He actually enjoys Rally. He's eight years old and, even as I'm working with him for off-leash heeling, I know that I'm not going beyond Rally Advanced/UR02 with him. I want to get his UKC SPOT title added this year, but I think we're going to concentrate on his agility training, with an eye at maybe trialing a little at the end of the year. He won't pick up many titles at his age, but then again, at his age he deserves to get out there and have a little fun. He's been a terrific dog for me, despite all of his quirks and vagaries. He's earned a place on my couch for however long he wants it.
By Kimberly J Egan2 months ago in Petlife
In Defense of "Elvenar"
Once upon a time, I was a true gamer. I had the two-monitor set-up, unlimited Internet access through my cable company, multiple characters across multiple worlds on my favorite games. The first thing I did when I got home was fire up one of the several games that I enjoyed. Over the years, I played Ultima Online, Everquest, Worlds of Warcraft--pretty much any fantasy MMPORG that was popular at the time. On occasion, I'd relax with single-player city building games or virtual pet games like ShowDog.com or PonyIsland (the cute one, not the demon one). I even briefly played Forge of Empires (FOE), a browser-based free-to-play strategy game. I could play a solitary game or I could have limited interaction with other players, so it was a perfect blend of play styles for casual gaming.
By Kimberly J Egan2 months ago in Gamers
First Dog Show!
If you've followed me at all, you know that I breed my dogs and compete with them at AKC and UKC events. The Teddy Roosevelt Terriers are my own project, but I have a co-breeder for the Toy Fox Terriers. Kathleen and I meet monthly in person to discuss our plans for our dogs and for the occasional conformation show. We also talk on the phone daily (mostly about dogs), so we're always informed about what is happening at each other's place. She keeps most of the females, while I keep most of the males. It's a system that works for us.
By Kimberly J Egan3 months ago in Petlife
Making the Best of a Building Year
This Year is a "Building" Year Whenever a football team has a quarterback that ages out or a new head coach, it seems as if they call the year that follows a "building year." Even if most of the faces on the team stay the same, the transitions may be so great or so many in number that the team isn't expected to win. It is "building" a fresh look and a fresh strategy that will result (hopefully) in a shot at the playoffs during the next season.
By Kimberly J Eganabout a year ago in Petlife
Burning High
"Go pet the phoenix," Mallory had said. "Or are you too much of a coward?" Letha tried to keep her eyes scrunched closed. Opening them again would only have the same result as it had the last time. The nearly unbroken stretch of treetops, made up mostly of the canopies of massive oaks, had looked like a mass of embroidery knots. Mum would be proud of that analogy, she was certain, because Letha had never been the slightest bit interested in embroidery.
By Kimberly J Eganabout a year ago in Fiction
Back Again
Deer Season Deer season. Every year, it stands in the way like a big block of granite. Deer season is the winding down of gardening, putting in root crops and greens in preparation for the winter. It's time for packing in the brooder, with the last of the meat chickens in the rear view mirror, already processed and in the freezer. It's the time during which the empty freezers are slowly filled with scraps for the dogs and ground venison for us. I was working two jobs during deer season, both at the kennel and processing meat as fast as it would come in. Every day, we'd plan ahead: gardens, chickens, dogs, and such, for "after deer season." Everything comes to a standstill, other than cutting, grinding, and packing deer meat.
By Kimberly J Eganabout a year ago in Petlife
Not for the Faint of Heart
Who is "Cyi?" Cyi (pronounced "sigh") is a beautiful little white and tan Toy Fox Terrier. She should only weigh about 5.5 pounds but getting her below 6 pounds is a challenge. Cyi loves food. She will go out of her way to steal whatever food she can get her tiny little teeth on. She has stolen food right out of Yaddle's mouth, God love her, even though Yaddle is two and a half times her weight. With her high level of activity, you would think Cyi would melt away those extra calories. Alas . . . no. She hasn't had a tuck-up since she was two. It was Cyi's love of food that got her into her mess last week. And, unfortunately, it's a mess from which she will likely never recover.
By Kimberly J Egan2 years ago in Petlife
Kidding Time!
Every person who has goats both eagerly awaits and actively dreads kidding time. The "eagerly awaits" part is easy to understand. Kids are, as a rule, adorable. After their first week of life, they suddenly develop springs in their legs and the desire to jump on anything in their path. Just today, I found one of the kids on the apartment-sized refrigerator that is outside, waiting for Dan to haul it off for scrap metal. Why was he there? Not a clue. It's been sitting there since he was born, and he did not give it a glance. It is entirely possible that he simply waited until I needed a smile on my face. It's as good an explanation as any!
By Kimberly J Egan2 years ago in Petlife
Not Even Just a Little
Dear Mom, I'm certain it's no surprise to you, since we've barely shared 100 words in the last 10 years, but I don't like you. I don't love you, not even just a little. You don't know how much I've wanted to love you. How much I needed to love you when I was younger. How much I craved your approval. I wish it could have been so.
By Kimberly J Egan2 years ago in Families
In Life, as with Dogs, the Only Constant is Change
The Puppies! It's been just over a week since they were born, and the puppies have more than doubled in weight. Tumbleweed, the white and tan, is now 10.7 ounces and Sarsaparilla, the black tricolor, is 10.8 ounces. Yuma is becoming annoyed with them, because they are no longer staying where she put them! That's right: they're crawling like little speed demons and disrupting Yuma's orderly world. She likes it best when they are nursing and in one place, even if it means she has to stay still. The video below was taken on April 11, when the puppies were six days old. Yuma still wasn't certain how she felt about me leaving the door open and possibly letting Leela or Yaddle in.
By Kimberly J Egan2 years ago in Petlife
Changing Times
Remembering Millie We knew she was coming to an end, but it was hard to see old Millie declining. She was a special girl: a long-coated red Dachshund who had wandered up Dan's driveway almost six years ago. At the time, she was in a great deal of pain, with half-healed wounds caused by the boiling-hot liquid that had been poured over her back. We were obligated to advertise a "found dog," so we did--in the most half-hearted manner possible--while we treated her wounds and filled her starving belly with venison and fresh eggs and goat's milk. She was scared to death of us, fear-biting at us whenever we tried to clean her wounds and even when we tried to feed her.
By Kimberly J Egan2 years ago in Petlife
Lightening the Mood with Trick Training!
In the Beginning . . . I own terriers, so naturally I'm a glutton for punishment. For that reason, I'm not going to be trick training Widget. I will instead be trick training Widget, Sassi, and Badger, Heaven help me. All three Toy Fox Terriers are at different stages of training. This fact will allow me to share more of what is involved in the process ad how trick training can be used to build a dog's confidence and skills. We'll also be building skills from Bella's Trix "Manners Matter, primarily for Widget and for Sassi. Sassi is, at this very minute, demanding that I get up from writing and feed her, so yeah. Manners . . .
By Kimberly J Egan2 years ago in Petlife