In December 2023, William Kimani, a dog whisperer based in Nairobi, sparked mixed reactions after disclosing how much he makes from walking dogs.
So professional is his job that he has monthly subscription plans for his clients that include services such as grooming and walking the dogs.
Kimani said he operates on a schedule and he walks his clients’ dogs from as early as 5 AM to as late as 9 PM.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
In a viral TikTok video, Kimani shocked many after disclosing that he earns up to Ksh 470,000 per month from his dogs business.
At the time, he stated that he had 47 clients, each paying Ksh 10,000 monthly for Kimani to walk their dogs, groom them and train each dog for at least an hour.
“This is for the walks and other services I offer them. Remember, I also have to travel to different neighbourhoods daily and also pay for my monthly insurance worth approximately Ksh 36,000,” he said.
In an interview, Kimani said he got his love for dogs from his father who would take care of animals at their home in Kiambu County during his free time.
He said that he wanted to pursue a career in the field but he ended up doing a course in electronics after being convinced by his family.
However, Kimani later changed his career trajectory, “I worked in the field for about a year but I was not satisfied as it was boring so I decided to go back to school and pursue my veterinary dreams.”
With savings from his previous job, Kimani enrolled at a local institution and pursued a course related to veterinary care.
“I went back to school to do animal husbandry and instead of specialising in veterinary services, I decided to study animal therapy. So, I can check your animal, see its behaviour, and be able to tell you what it needs and then refer you to the right specialist,” he said.
After completing the brief course, he started rearing several animals including cows and dogs before he eventually decided to specialize in dog training.
Kimani has since advanced the stages in the two years that he has been fully engaging in dog training, walking and care.
He said training depends on what the client wants, adding that his clients are from all over the country.
“When I get home in the evening, I am usually quite exhausted. I don’t even say a word, I just have a meal, shower then go to bed because I will still have to start working at 5 am the next day,” Kimani said.