Twesigye turned his passion for dogs into a money-making venture

As the old adage goes, “a dog is man’s best friend.”

For Geoffrey Twesigye, it is more than that as the animals have become his breadwinner.

On a chilly Friday morning after a heavy downpour, the writer arrives at Mpangala Buddo village, Kyengera town council in Wakiso district.

This is the home of Twesigye, a journalist with NTV Uganda.

At the gated home, the sound of the barking dogs welcomes all visitors and as he prepares a seat for the writer, the dog kennels can be seen all over the compound.

Twesigye narrates that his love for dogs dates back from his childhood.

“In the village, we used to have a number of dogs at home but according to my parents, whereas I was still a young boy, there is one particular dog that I loved so much. However, when I was taken to boarding school, the dog disappeared and on return I didn’t find it,” Twesigye said.

He says that on asking where his beloved friend had gone, there was no answer.

He vowed to get a dog to replace his lost “friend.”

The 32-year-old video journalist says that when he grew up, he bought a local breed dog as a way of remembering his friend that had disappeared mysteriously.

“After acquiring the dog, my neighbours always told me it was not a pure breed and that I had to get an exotic one that would fit me,” Twesigye says.

Turns passion into money

The soft speaking journalist narrates that when he went on Facebook to inquire whether he could sell his local breed and in turn get an exotic one, everything changed for the better.

“When I posted the photo, someone told me my breed was poor and that he could help me sell it to enable me get a good one. I had bought my local breed at Shs 200,000 (approximately $52) but I was surprised to earn Shs 700,000(approximately $198). I realized I could make money out of breeding dogs,” Twesigye says.

He then bought two German Shepherds that he says he used to start his breeding business.

Twesigye says that since he was a beginner, the two animals didn’t perform well but as time went on, he perfected the game through the use of internet and books that have taught him how to look after the animals.

“I currently have seven dogs including German Shepherd, Caucasian Shepherd and Maltese,” he says.

He adds that the breeds he currently has are ones that can be used as family pets(Maltese) whereas for guard duties he relies on the German Shepherds and Caucasian Shepherds.

According to Twesigye, his animals are used to eating posho as well as meat that he collects from the nearby abattoir.

He says he spends not more than Shs 5000 a day on their feeds.

Market

Twesigye says that he created a Facebook page, Golden K9 dog services, where he posted the different types of dogs he has for those interested to buy.

Other buyers are recommended to him by his friends and fellow dog lovers.

“We also created a village WhatsApp group where I post pictures of the different dogs I have and I get people referred to me. I also bought some breeds from Kenya and those people refer buyers to me,” he said.

He says he mostly sells puppies.

“One puppy can be got between for Shs 250,000 and Shs 500,000 for Maltese, the German Shepherd goes between Shs 500,000 and Shs 1.5 million depending on the percentage of the bloodline. The large breeds range between Shs 2 million and above.”

He says that he earns not less than Shs 15 million per year from the seven breeding dogs but hopes this will increase with time.

Challenges

Just like any other business, Twesigye says that dog rearing has its own challenges.

He says since rearing dogs is passion, not everyone has it and therefore, when he is away at his journalistic work, the animals may not be looked after well.

“The animals fall sick and require a lot of money for veterinary doctors to treat them and a person without passion can’t manage them,” he says.

Future plans

Twesigye says he hopes to buy a larger piece of land that can enable him expand his dog farm.

“I currently rear them from home but I would like to get space where I can put more kennels. Currently, the money I get from the sale of puppies is saved for the bigger plan,” he says.