William Kimani, a 37-year-old, is quietly but successfully earning a living from his passion as ‘man’s best friend.’ At first glance, his work might seem very casual and only for people who need the job out of necessity.

However, in recent years, the narrative has changed and dog walking has become a high-earning occupation. William Kimani decided to capitalise on the demand for services, attesting that he is living well off of it.

He makes approximately Sh. 470,000 per month from his job. In a TikTok video, Kimani detailed that he has subscription plans for customers requiring his services.

He charges every month, and the packages encompass grooming, walking and training for 1 hour of his time. He has about 47 clients from different neighbourhoods.

Each client pays him at least Sh. 10,000 per dog, monthly. The video that has since gone viral received praise from Kenyans who appreciated his entrepreneurial eye for business gaps.

Kimani said that he operates on a schedule, with his first client’s dog walking as early as 5 am to the last at 9 pm. He noted that he is only free on Christmas Eve.

“From January to August, I’m here in Nairobi. August to late September, I’m in Nanyuki and Nyandarua counties,” he said.

Kimani’s clientele mostly consists of expatriates and wealthy people who live in areas such as General Mathenge, Kyuna Westlands, Parklands, Loresho, Waiyaki Way and Lower Kabete. They mostly discover him through the internet.

In an interview with a local media house, Kimani said that his love for the canines is drawn from his father who took care of animals in his free time at their home in Kiambu.

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After high school, he wanted to pursue a career related to animals, but his relatives discouraged him and talked him into doing electronics instead. He took a 3-year course and graduated.

“I worked in the field for about a year but I was not satisfied as it was boring so I decided to go back to school and pursue my veterinary dreams,” he remembered.

With the funds he had saved from his electronics job, he joined campus for his desired course which took him one and a half years.

At first, he would keep cows, dogs and other animals at their Kiambu farm before finally deciding to specialize in dog training. He has been in business for about 2 years and is minting a fortune from it.

“The price varies. You know we’re all going through some tough times as a country. So I have to be flexible with my prices.”

Kimani advised the youth to follow their passions and dreams and to seek guidance from people who are more experienced in their desired career lines.

“If my family allowed me to pursue my interests earlier I would be further along in line. However, I don’t regret it. I have the skills that I can use any day,” he concluded.