Sunday, 12 May 2013

Pooch passion

For most people, the hardest part about having a business is getting started. But for start-up success Johanna Cid, it was simple: it was a school requirement. Cid, 21, is a fresh Entrepreneurial Management graduate from the University of Asia and the Pacific. Powow Paws is her dog-breeding business.

Cid has a real passion for pooches—not even allergies and asthma can keep her from taking care of her four-legged products. “I make sure that the puppies are healthy and ready to be cared for by another, and I make sure that they’re able to adapt to another environment before I sell them,” she says about her home-based business.

The dog breeding industry is less about competition and more about community, says Cid, and she encourages other would-be breeders to take advantage of the growing interest among Filipinos to care for pets. For instance, she says, “this year there is a preference for big dogs,” or that puppies should be sold within three months for optimum pricing.

But while an artist can’t wait to sell his paintings, to Cid, parting with her dogs is such sweet sorrow. “I’ve always had dogs but I’ve never tried breeding them until I had to do it for school. And they’re so hard to let go, always,” she says.

Small dogs, big money
Half amused, Cid’s parents sometimes wonder if she’s in the right line of work because of the monthly melancholy. But an average monthly sales of P120,000 is hard to argue with.

According to Cid, it takes around three to four months of business before the first sales come in for starting breeders. Currently, says that she has already paid back half of the P400,000 starting capital she borrowed from her parents in December 2010. She used that money to buy pups, cager, and supplies.


Despite Cid’s natural love for big dogs like labradors and the actual demand for bigger breeds, she had no choice but to stick to small breeds due to the constraints of having her business in a residential area. “The neighbors had to give their consent before the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) could approve my business. The neighbors said no big dogs.”

Generating sales
What may seem unusual is that Cid runs her business from home in a subdivision in Marikina City with only a small poster at the village gate for advertising, but she makes very good business. Her Web savvy has become her secret to good sales. “I posted on every possible Internet site I could think of. The free advertising I get by going online is proving to be enough,” she says. And by enough, she means getting buyers from as far north as Baguio or as far south as Davao.

Pedigree and quality
Now there are dogs and there are “top dogs.” Becoming the latter requires more effort than a cute breed and a healthy litter. “Top Dog” breeders learn to mark their territory and establish the quality and pedigree of their puppies. In spite of the wonderful job she has done so far, Cid admits her dogs are, of the moment, “just pet quality.”

“I need to prioritize the pedigrees of my dogs, and improve my reputation,” she says. “But I think I can sell (puppies) at a better price when they achieve show quality.”

To get that show-dog stamp of approval, Cid says a breeder must be part of a dog show, and it starts by sponsoring an event organized by the Philippine Canine Club Inc. and then joining a competition. Once certified, dog-show-quality puppies not only command a higher price, but also inherit the reputation of their parents—known in the business as having “green lines” in their pedigree papers. Even among dogs, it pays to be royalty. But as a breeder, Johanna Cid is getting there.

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