How We Got Started
I think it is time to introduce everybody behind PHKJ Critters! My name is Brandy and I grew up on a farm in a tiny little town called Strongfield. We farmed, raised cattle and I grew up on the back of a horse! My true love has always been cattle & dogs, ever since I was a little girl, I would spend all day everyday out with my cows or playing with our farm dogs! Everybody who knows me knows if I could I would talk about them 24/7. We always had a dog around from border collies to golden retrievers. My love for dogs came from a very young age, I always said as a little girl my dream would be to be on a farm with as many cattle as I could possibly have and a yard full of dogs to maul me! (And it's came true!!🥰)
I was lucky enough when I left our family farm that I met a great man who shares the same passion for cow's as I do. He may not be as cow crazy as myself but we still enjoy working side by side, moving cow's to pasture, tagging calves, or even just sitting out there and watching them.
I always dreamed one day I would have children that I could share my love and passion of animals with. September of 2014 I welcomed my first daughter into the world Paysley, an animal lover just like myself! In August of 2017 we welcomed our son Holden, a tractor obsessed, bale hauling, spunky little guy. January 2019 brought our 2nd daughter Kashlyn, a little girl who shares my obsession with every & all animals! September 2020 we welcomed our 3rd daughter Jorja. I am so excited for her to experience all the love we receive from our animals! May of 2022 we welcomed our 5th & final child Madelyn. I'm pretty sure that little girl has every dog wrapped around her little finger. In 2017 we built a brand new home on my husband's family farm and all my dreams came true!!! I got my first 20 chickens in the spring of 2018. As I learnt more and more about birds my breeds and my flock grew which eventually ventured out to ducks and geese as well! The enjoyment my children have when our eggs start to hatch in the house is priceless!! May of 2019 I bought my first group of speckle park heifers from my amazing bestfriend!! We have always had a mix Angus herd but I had never had speckles before. They have been some of the best cows I have purchased! Amazing moms, great milkers, and they have best temperaments. The summer of 2020 my children wanted a bunny so we brought home our first mixed breed bunny. We had a few different breeds but Holland Lops stuck out the most for us. We loved the personality they have as well as those adorable floppy ears and cute faces. We found a few amazing breeders that we were so fortunate to buy some great stock from!! 2019 was also another exciting year for us as we welcomed our first litter of pure bred Australian shepherds into the world! I can never forget the excitement on my children's faces waking up that morning to find puppies that had just been born! With the amazing support of my husband I have been able to bring in a few of my favorite breeds of dogs. Australian shepherds, golden retrievers, Bernese Mountain dogs & Poodles.
It's a funny thing when we started this journey I always said I would never own a poodle. That was clearly a lie, after meeting a couple poodles I now realize I could never live with out one! The loyalty, personality, and all around smartness to this breed is threw the roof and I could not imagine my life without them!
Now that our kids have gotten older, animals have been a huge part of their up bringing and they decided they wanted to be more involved! Their breed of choice ( and i cannot complain these guys are truly AMAZING) Dachshunds!! After tons of research, talking with many breeders, consulting with our vet and learning all about the breed our kids added our very first Dachshund to our home in 2022, from there is took off. These guys did it all and actually did an amazing job! They have saved over the years and I am happy to say we have added some pretty amazing Dachshunds to our program! These guys are raised exactly how we raise all of our dogs & puppies. They are involved with everything we do. Car rides, side by side rides, cow checking, you name it they are there!
For now our Dachshunds are linked to our PHKJ Critters website but we do have a facebook page specifically for our Dachshunds (PHKJ Dachshunds) please feel free to check it out!
My goal has always been to produce quality pet and companion dogs that have sound structure and amazing temperaments who are all around great family dogs!
Happy, healthy, as well as affordable dogs!
Our dogs are a huge part of our family and we want other families to experience the joy and love these breeds have to offer. ❤- Brandy