Photo by Mgzkun[/caption] Man's best friend can also be a great source of steady income. This rings true for entrepreneur Josephine Molde, who has built a lucrative dog breeding business out of his own backyard. It was in 2000 when she bought a 10-month-old female Dalmatian for P12,000 from a friend. Months later, the dog gave indications that it was ready to mate, and they then paid P2,500 to a stud breeder, an exercise which bore 11 puppies. She then earned a cool P35,000 when she was able to sell them for P3,000 to P3,500 each to friends and through ads. "We were satisfied with the results so we thought of getting more dogs and expand the business," Molde said. A LUCRATIVE BUSINESS Molde then bought a two-month-old Golden Retriever for P17,000 and while it was growing, the Dalmatian gave birth to 10 more puppies and they pocketed another P30,000. They eventually acquired more breeds and after three years, the business peaked with 40 dogs in 12 varieties. Josephine and her husband Godie also went into the stud business, which turned out to be more profitable and reliable. Godie also learned the art of “shooting” or helping the dogs mate, which earns for him P300 per session. During that period, the dogs brought in almost P200,000 per month to pad the family's coffers the majority of which came from the stud part of their business. "So we were using the earnings from the stud business for our expenses and maintenance, and the proceeds from the puppies go to our savings," she said. HOW TO START A DOG BREEDING BUSINESS Wanna try your hand in this particular venture? Molde shares some of the tricks she has learned from her long experience in the trade. 1. MAP OUT SPACE. The first thing to do, she said, is to check out your available space. If there is a small space only, she said the best option is to go for the smaller breeds like Pomeranian, Shih Tzu and Chihuahua. According to her, a 3X3-meter space would do for starters. 2. STAY IN THE LOOP. Make it a habit to read pamphlets and talk to other breeders for tips and to stay updated on industry trends. 3. FOCUS ON THE FOOD. Ensuring that your mutts stay well fed is one of the main ingredients for success in this line of business. Molde says for 10 small dogs, a 25-kilo sack of dog food ought to be enough for a month. “If you have 10 small dogs, your expenses will only be about P2,500 per month for maintenance, and that would include the dog food and vitamins. You will also need clean water, of course, particularly for puppies,” she said. 4. IT'S A HOME BASED BUSINESS. This business lends itself well for stay at home people, because they can watch over the dogs from time to time while doing other house chores. If you have a day job, you can feed the dogs before going to work and then do it again when you come back. 5. VACCINES ARE VERY IMPORTANT. Make sure your dogs are vaccinated annually. 6. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SCHEDULE Dogs normally start to mate after eight months, it will then take them another 60 days to give birth. You will need to take care of the puppies for another two months before selling them. These two months will cover the four weeks of deworming, and 5-in-1 vaccines for the fifth week and seventh week. 7. MAKE SURE TO GET QUALITY DOGS “If you are a beginner, it is best to buy from a breeder and not from the pet shops because the prices are lower and you can go back for replacements,” Molde said. ENTREP TIP: The fastest selling breeds, Josephine said, is the Shih Tzu. Its puppies sell for P10,000 for female and P8,000 for male. Once you have learned the techniques and have become acquainted with the trade, that is the time to go for the larger and more expensive breeds. But she warned that these varieties do not sell as fast as the smaller ones, and they require bigger space. In the end, Josephine said the most important thing to do is to love the dogs, cuddle them, and really spend for them. The satisfaction they bring and the return in investment, of course, will make you feel that it is really worthwhile to consider the dogs as man’s best friend. source: entrepreneur.com.phSource: Business Diary Philippines
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