It’s a dog’s life; As pet shops spring up
Milk, feeding bottles, shampoos, vitamins, Glucose, zinc and biotin capsules. Do not get carried away because this is not in a baby care shop or a pharmacy.
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These items are in a pet grooming shop that sells a variety of dog food (pallets), accessories and live dogs.
Over the last couple of years, pet shops have sprung up in many residential areas in the capital, with the Spintex Road alone having over 12 of such shops.
The irony of the situation is that while majority of Ghanaians are complaining of the current economic hardship, others are ready to spend any amount of money just to keep their dogs in good shape and well fed.
A shop attendant at one of the pet shops said they had branches in Adabraka, Kasoa, Awudome, Spintex Road, East Legon, Osu, Dome and Achimota, with plans to open more because of the lucrative nature of the business.
“A lot of Ghanaians are becoming concerned with the upkeep of their pets, especially the dogs, and are ready to spend on them,” he said.
According to the shop attendant, general grooming for dogs, including bathing and trimming of hair and nails, cost GH¢85 but could be more if the owner orders for ‘special’ or extra services.
The shop had in stock a wide variety of dog accessories, including leashes, mouth guards, collars and chains ranging from GH¢15 to GH¢60 depending on the size of the dog or preference of the owner.
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Milk for puppies cost GH¢60; vitamins are sold at GH¢60 per container, canned meat ranges from GH¢5 to GH¢15, pallets (dog food) cost GH¢20 and brewers’ yeast that prevents itch and skin disorder is sold at GH¢85.
A French Mastiff owner told The Mirror she bought the puppy at GH¢4,000.
She, therefore, needed to take good care of it for her investment not to be wasted.
“These dogs don’t eat the food we eat at home and so if I don’t buy the pallets or canned meat, it would die. Another issue too is that public veterinaries are few and underresourced so I pay more at a private pet shop for the dog to be well taken care of,” she said.
Uses of dogs
A lot of people have dogs they keep as pets or companions but majority of dogs can perform different tasks assigned them by their owners, with guarding or protecting property being the commonest use of dogs.
Trained dogs can detect the scent of missing individuals through the wilderness, in bad weather, debris and even under water as their ability to smell particles of human scent allow them to track the air as well as the ground and locate people, both living and dead.
Some breeds also work alongside humans, guarding various kinds of livestock, including cattle, sheep and fowl.
Breeds of dogs
There is a wide range of dogs but the commonest among them are the Chihuahua, which is mainly kept as a pet; the German Shepherd which is kept mainly for security purposes, bulldog and Labrador Retriever.
Others are the Australian Shepherd Collie, Golden Retriever, St Bernard, Greyhound, Bloodhound, Great Dane, Rottweiler, Boxer and Cocker Spaniel.