By MaryAnne Musilo

Antony Kiberian, a farmer in Kabarak, Nakuru, has built a vibrant side hustle breeding sheep dogs, after losing his own dog due to poor breeding.

“I got a puppy from a breeder and didn’t follow up on his breeding procedure and I ended up losing my ‘friend’. I later discovered that the breeding was poor, because the mother to the puppy was a small dog and the father was not of the same breed, which causes mortality. I decided to get a dog from registered breeders and got a pure breed of Japanese Spitz,” he said.

It was an experience that made him realise how hard it was to get pure bred dogs in the country.

“Five years ago I decided to start a dog breeding farm, to close the gap of the demand in the market and also bring pure bred dogs,” he said.

“I got a German Shepherd and German Spitz, and later got certification with the county government.”

During the mating season, the dogs are separated according to their family to avoid interbreeding.

“The mating season is actually the toughest. The male dogs fight and the winner is the one who mates with the female dog. Here the male don’t eat much as their focus is to mate. Afterwards I treat the wounds of those that were injured during the fight,” he said.

The female dog gives birth after 58–68 days. At four weeks, Antony introduces plant-based protein and carbohydrates to the puppies.

“I then take pumpkins, rice or homemade flour and cook for the puppies, as they also breastfeed. I also give them Bravo Puppy dog food. Here I avoid giving them meat for it takes time to be digested. It is also important to note that dogs are lactose intolerant and so I avoid giving them milk,” he said.

“I then introduce the meat when the puppy is around 3 months because this is their adolescent stage and they shed fur.”

Antony says that just as humans, dogs need care, including taking them for walks, training them, cleaning them and cleaning their kennels regularly.

He insists on fully vaccinating the puppies to avoid unnecessary diseases and mortality.

The market for dogs in Kenya is growing with the need for companionship and owning pets.

Related News:

Chilli walls prevent farm wipeouts from monkey attacks while adding to farmer incomes

Steel wire cages produce higher quality parasite free rabbits

Farmers use fly traps to tame parasites in zero grazing units

“The market is good, my clients actually book for the puppies before they are even born. I sell at Sh5000 for those not vaccinated and Sh10000 for the vaccinated puppies and give the buyer certificate as proof for vaccination,” said Antony.

He usually maintains the older females, saying they bring good, healthy puppies, and mostly sells the male ones. He also maintains the family by keeping one female puppy.

“When the male dogs grow old, I castrate them, and for the female, I separate them with the male dogs during the mating season. I love my business because one can never go wrong with man’s best friend,” he said.

Are you a farmer looking to grow the most profitable crop on your farm, with or without irrigation. Use FarmBizAfrica’s HarvestMAX on https://harvestmax.farmbizapps.com and it will tell you in less than a minute what the highest income-earning crops are for your weather, soil type and this season, based on your seasonal weather forecast. Don’t make weather losses ever again, and more than triple your income.ther forecast. Don’t make weather losses ever again, and more than triple your income.