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 (109)
Filter by community
Adding Another Hen
Rooster Roo starts his approach . . . Look casual . . . Look casual . . . If you've read my story "Looking Back at Our Building Year," then you know that I have a free-range chicken flock. I've had a flock of three for almost a year now. A few days ago, Dan sent me another hen who had stopped laying eggs. The introduction did not go well. Rooster Roo saw her from across the yard. His 100-yard dash toward her sent the poor thing into paroxysms of terror. Finally, she allowed herself to be herded toward the other hens--who then proceeded to beat her up. She eventually took refuge under the hay shed, where she stayed for the rest of the day. Obviously, she didn't roost with the rest of the chickens at dusk. We have foxes, owls, opossums, raccoons, and the occasional coyote that hunts in our area, so I didn't hold out much hope for my new hen.
By Kimberly J Egan2 years ago in Petlife
A Difficult Month
February 13, 2024 February is always a tough month. In SW Mississippi, it almost always brings the coldest temperatures of winter. It's not just cold, but it's also dreary, windy, and either wet or frozen. It's hard on people, plants, and animals, so most often Dan and I stay inside when we can, keeping our dogs close to us. Over the years, if we lose elderly dogs, it's typically in February. Two years ago it was Bowser (17 years), one of Dan's farm dogs. Last year it was Itsy (15 years, Japanese Chin) and Millie (approx. 10+ years, a rescue Dachshund). This year was no exception. Last Tuesday, I lost my precious Little Bit and, just a few minutes ago, my wonderful little Joy breathed her last breaths in my lap.
By Kimberly J Egan2 years ago in Petlife
Just What is a "Training Walk?"
Training walks are not part of every dog trainer's repertoire. In fact, I think that Yaddle and I made them up. The concept is very simple. You take your dog for a walk and train your dog during the walk. The more difficult aspect of the training walk is to make the training invisible to your dog or, if not invisible, fun. I started training walks for Yaddle, because of her stress and her brain injury, but any young, stressed, or anxious dog can benefit from them. Keep a training walk short, no more than 15 minutes or so to keep it fun and interesting. If you're planning to walk longer, incorporate your training walk into the longer walk.
By Kimberly J Egan2 years ago in Petlife
Looking Back at Our Building Year. Top Story - February 2024.
Away, 2023--Onward, 2024! So, last year was a building year. More accurately, it was a REbuilding year. In 2023, Kathleen and I found ourselves bottlenecked with our dogs. I only had one goat left and he was a male, which is fine unless you have dairy goats for milk! Dan and I had become dissatisfied with buying our laying hens from other people, and so embarked on creating our own landrace. He and I also re-evaluated what we were doing, gardening-wise, now that he's recovering and feeling more like himself. And, finally, I decided to make another attempt at raising quail for meat and for eggs. Phew! We were busy, even though we didn't seem to be doing much!
By Kimberly J Egan2 years ago in Petlife
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 years 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 years 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 Egan2 years 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 Egan3 years 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 Egan3 years 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 Egan3 years 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 Egan4 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 Egan4 years ago in Petlife
