Kathy Petersen Biography

Living and writing in Virginia, Kathy Petersen plans to focus on KuneKune pigs. In fact, her homestead is called Virginia KuneKunes, and she hopes to promote and educate consumers on the many benefits of raising KuneKunes. On her to-do list are projects relating to the KuneKune breed: raising awareness of the breed, exploring the history of KuneKunes, educating new and current owners about the breed, introducing farmers to the breed, and open a professional business service and support company for livestock breeders.

When asked what prompted her move to the country, Kathy says, “I love animals and have since I was a small child. Picking up strays all over our neighborhood didn’t do well with living in a neighborhood. Raising Australian Shepherds for over 10 years isn’t well-suited for life in the city, and my love for them prompted our move to the country where we have/had chickens, horses, dogs, cats, and KuneKune pigs.”

Kathy and her family share the Virginia KuneKunes homestead with seven cats (Zoey, Rascal, Jax, Patches, Ringo, Whiskers and Callie), seven Australian Shepherds (Tucker, Austin, Emma, Sandy, Emily, Shooter and Ruby), and 18 KuneKune Pigs (Callister, Midnight, Delilah, Sampson, Hamilton, Matthew, Sassy, Kari, Mia, Patsy, Maleon, Tabitha, Tosha, Zorro, Rona, Gina, Betsy and Chrissy). Several of their Australian Shepherds are International/National Show Champions and UKC Champions. And you might surmise that her primary “country” skill is animal husbandry.

Currently, she’s one of the founding members of the American KuneKune Pig Society. She has now taken her passion further to help all KuneKune breeders by founding a new registry called IKKPS.

You can also find her on Facebook.