Hustler : Vincent Rwothomio

Rwothomio with some of his dogs. PHOTO BY ISAAC SSEJJOMBWE

What’s your business?
It’s called German Shepherd Dog Centre Kampala. We are involved in dog breeding, and selling, especially German shepherd dogs. We do dog training, we import and export dogs and we sell dog kennels.

Where is this business located?
We are situated in Kisaasi, Kulambiro opposite Kulambiro Gardens on Doctors Lane.

When did you open up this business?
We opened in 2004 and we started with one dog.

How much did you invest in this dog business?
I invested Shs300,000 and I used it to buy one female German shepherd dog.

And how much is your business worth now?
Depending on the number of dogs I have and their worth, I estimate this business to be Shs120m.

How much do you sell your dogs?
It depends. Puppies go for Shs800,000 to Shs1m and I sell grown dogs between Shs1.5m and Shs3.5m.

What are some of the challenges you face doing this kind of business?
Some of the dogs we import are sick and only last for two weeks yet they are so expensive to fly in. There is this dog disease called Pavo, which attacks puppies at six weeks and there is no vaccination yet for this disease. The environment is also not good because we are situated in a residential area and the noise the dogs make inconveniences our neighbours.