Cyrus Maina, a former Ulinzi Stars player and coach, has been breeding and selling dogs since 1976.
His passion in dogs began in Nyahururu, Laikipia County, after he met a local Catholic priest who gave him a German shepherd puppy.
Then, Maina, a passionate and resilient young man, began his profession, which has since lasted 47 years.
In an interview, he revealed the secrets to his market success, stating that a dog breeding business may be started with as little as Ksh 20,000.
Maina sells his puppies to families and tea estates for approximately Ksh 15,000 each. He also trains and hires out dogs to security firms across the country.
He oversees at least 42 grown canines, having rented out others to security services.
Maina also takes delight in offering job opportunities, having employed two staff to care for the dogs.
“The workers are trained on first aid so that they attend to emergencies in case they arise,” he said.
During the interview, Maina also mentioned how the business has helped him raise his family and enroll his children in school.
He mentioned that those who want to start a business must gain information and be passionate about their work.
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A dog’s gestation cycle is approximately 60 days, and according to Maina, a female dog can give birth to a litter of 14 puppies.
A healthy food for dogs, particularly new mothers, is important to the venture. For Maina, he feeds them meat, eggs, cooked rice and a variety of other nutritious meals.
“I feed the mature dogs once a day, especially at night. For the puppies, I feed them twice and every meal must contain milk,” he stated.
Maina also emphasized the importance of vaccination for dogs in order to avoid death at a young age and to prevent other animal diseases.
Hygiene is another important part of successful dog breeding. He explained that his canines are sprayed twice a week, and the kennels are cleaned twice every week.
“I use kennels that are 5ft by 5ft and each hosts three mature dogs. The houses are made of strong wire mesh at the front, metal on the sides and the floor has timber. They are raised about a metre from the ground and underneath is concrete for ease of cleaning and good hygiene,” he stated.
Maina advised dog trainers to keep up with current trends and technology and ensure their dogs are healthy.
