Charity Muriuki could hardly believe her eyes when she sold a dog at Sh120,000. This was after keeping the pet for just a year.
Ms Muriuki had turned to rearing dogs as the only solace after she was sent home by a Nakuru-based company where she worked as a clerical officer. The retrenchment had caught her unawares, she had no venture in mind to turn to, she told Money.
She would not have imagined making a fortune from rearing the dogs: “I never counted this as a business that would give me such good returns,” the 50-year-old mother of two points out.
At least, Ms Muriuki had a passion for pets especially dogs and since she had to work hard to sustain her family, she had no other option but to revitalise the business.
She has been keeping dogs for the last three years not just as pets but also for her family’s security. But this time round, she is also on a mission to prove her women friends wrong on the notion that the business only favours men.
Ms Muriuki started with one female dog. And seven months later, it gave birth to 10 puppies which she sold nine of them after two months each at Sh30,000, leaving the one which she would later make Sh120,000.
The profit she realised encouraged her to buy two more dogs.
As chance would have it, one of the new pets gave birth to 10 puppies giving the woman the encouragement and determination to revamp the business. Today, Ms Muriuki is in the league of top dog breeders in Nakuru at her quarter-acre land in Lanet.
She specialises in the long coat German Shepherd breed, which she says is easy to manage, train and relate with.
As she advanced in her business she started hiring trainers who now coach the dogs on how to relate with adults, children and even strangers. They are also trained on how to master instructions and their name.
After selling her first set of dogs, she created a market for her pets and today she welcomes customers from all over the country ranging from individuals to leading security firms.
“Most of my customers buy them for security especially the security firms who prefer the trained dogs,” she says.
The German Shepherd usually gives birth after a period of seven months and if kept healthy, Ms Muriuki says, the dog can give birth to 12 puppies at a go.
To run her business, she wakes up at 5:30am everyday to clean the kennels and feed the pets before leaving for other errands.
Seeing the different sizes of dogs in her compound not only gives her financial assurance but also satisfaction of what she has achieved on her own.
“Deworming, keeping them clean together with feeding them well reduces the number of visits one makes to the veterinary doctor”.
Her customers who buy the canines for home security prefer the young ones between the ages of two and five months. They attract between Sh30,000 and Sh35,000. An adult can fetch Sh120,000, she says, if well taken care of. The animals take about a year to mature.
Through her business, she has managed to complete educating her children and also start another income stream, a teddy bear venture, in Nakuru town.
“Having the passion for the pets will also make you commit yourself in taking care of them which include feeding them well and cleaning their kennels,” she says.
Currently she has over 20 dogs with seven mature ones which she says are ready for sale.
She challenges the youth to try the business because its an opportunity that can help them attain financial independence.
“Dogs are a good source of security and they are trainable so it only requires a few hours of one’s time and the only commitment is to love them,” she added.
Irresponsible, ill-informed article. We are already overrun with poor, unwanted dogs who, if they are lucky, find their way to the KSPCA. Adopt, don’t shop. So-called “breeders” like this individual know NOTHING about the proper and responsible way to breed dogs. And starting a bitch at 7 months? WTF?! Disgusting.