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!
Stories (106)
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Cleo's First Puppy Show. Top Story - January 2026.
"How would you feel about doing the Corsicana show in November?" Kathleen asked me last September. Dog exhibitors speak in shorthand that way. It's easier to say "the Corsicana show" than it is to say the "North East Texas American Eskimo Dog Association Show." And yes, "North East." I guess "Northeast" shortened the name too much for some people's taste . . . But I digress. In response, I asked two of the three important questions that every exhibitor thinks, first thing.
By Kimberly J Egan5 days ago in Petlife
What Does it Mean to be a "Preservation Breeder?"
When I first started "in dogs" back in late 1999, I had a goal. I was looking into "good" Toy Fox Terrier breeders, who at least talked a good game about health testing (which involved hearing, eye, and patella exams!) and who had show dogs in the first three generations of their puppies' pedigrees. I had a specific dog in my mind's eye: a white and tan male with a solid-colored head. That was it. I had no other criteria. I just wanted a dog that bore no resemblance to my little Oma, who had been poisoned--while in my own yard--by a neighbor earlier in the year. I knew that Oma had seeded the love for the breed so deeply that I wanted to help the breed continue into a prosperous future. I wanted to breed and to show and to compete with Toy Fox Terriers.
By Kimberly J Egan8 days ago in Petlife
The Blessings of the Season
I was sick when I started this story last year and never had the strength to finish it when it was relevant. Pip had also died during that time, so writing was very difficult for me. I'm finishing it now--because it's time. Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to everyone who celebrates them--and may the blessings of the Season be upon you all, no matter who or where you are.
By Kimberly J Egan16 days ago in Petlife
In Memory: Aspen's Great Expectations of LoupGarou
This story has been an entire year in the making. Pip passed away precisely one year ago today, December 17, 2024. I've tried writing it several times, but I've never been able to get past the first paragraph. Losing Pip has been an experience wrapped up in loss, in guilt, in the pain of promises unable to be kept. Every time I post about him, I cry over the knowledge that I will never have another picture of Pip, that the loving little dog that I knew so well had his life end tragically, so needlessly, that I have a hard time celebrating the lives of the puppies that he left behind. He had so much potential, so much promise. I had told myself that the spring of 2025 would be the time for working on agility, on weight pull, on all of the fun things that he loved to do. For Pip, spring of 2025 never arrived.
By Kimberly J Egan22 days ago in Petlife
Introducing: LoupGarou Cleopatra Addams!
Honorable Precedents! LoupGarou Cleopatra Addams, aka "Cleo," has been a dream five long years in the making. Her first name, "Cleopatra," comes from a dog once owned by Dan's daughter, many years ago. While I don't know the breed of the original Cleopatra canine, Dan's daughter said that her face was marked very similarly to the puppy I was unromantically calling "Blue Tux Girl." Given that I don't like giving human names to dogs, especially those of historical figures, I took it one step farther: she is named for Morticia Addams' plant, Cleopatra, giving Cleo her surname. My thanks to Dan's daughter for helping me name this lovely puppy!
By Kimberly J Eganabout a month ago in Petlife
Cassidy's Walkabout. Top Story - November 2025.
This is, fortunately, a better post than I have a right to make today. Some of you know about my Australian Shepherd, Cassidy. He's generally out at night, keeping foxes and the occasional coyote away. He's a working-bred Aussie, but he thinks that he's a pack of Great Pyrenees. On occasion, Cassidy used to wander, finding or creating a hole in the fence and taking off to parts unknown. He has been very good in the past few months, no longer even barking at the school bus as it goes by. This morning, he was as quiet as could be when the high school bus and then the middle school bus passed the homestead.
By Kimberly J Egan2 months ago in Petlife
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 Egan4 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 Egan4 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 Egan4 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 Egan4 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 Egan4 months ago in Petlife
