VietNamNet Bridge – Hoang Van Tien, 27, starts the day on his dog farm by grooming his four-pawed Alaskan Malamute friend Nana.

Hoang Van Tien plays with his dogs on the farm.— Photos tienphong.vn

Tien, from the Central Highland province of Dak Lak, said Alaskans are notable for their beautiful fur coats.

As well as a grooming Nana’s coat every day, Tien also has to ensure a healthy diet for his dog.

The food requires different levels of nutrition depending on each stage of Nana’s development. When Nana was a puppy, Tien fed him milk and calcium, but as he grew, the diet changed to include chicken, beef, vegetables and trung vit lon (duck embyo eggs), Tien said.

It costs more than VND1million (US$44) to feed Nana each month, he said.

Nana is one of 30 dogs in Tien’s farm now, along with Huskies, Poodles, Pugs and Bulldogs, among them 15 females.

Tien earns about VND500 million ($21,825) per year from selling their puppies, Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported.

The dogs at Tien’s farm.

Start-up

The story began in late 2016 three years after Tien had graduated from a vocational school but had failed to turn his training into a success. He seemed to have lost his way, and did not know what to do to earn a living.

At that time, fortunately, one of Tien’s closest friends in HCM City, suggested he started breeding foreign dogs because Alaskans and Huskies were becoming more popular than ever.

After thinking carefully about the idea, Tien decided to spend VND10 million ($440) on a pregnant Alaskan.

However, his wife was unhappy when he brought the dog home.

“A foreign dog is not suitable for a poor area like Cu Kpo Commune,” she said.

“It can’t even guard the house like a Vietnamese dog. I don’t like it, it’s a waste of money,” she added.

Tien took a risk and lied to his wife that the dog belonged to a friend and he was just looking after it while the friend was away on business.

Two months later, the dog gave birth to four puppies that Tien sold for about VND40 million ($1,750).

His wife was won over, and gave him the nod.

Tien and his giant friends.

Development

His wife’s approval gave him the motivation to buy two more Alaskans and a Husky. The dogs gave birth to puppies after several months.

Tien realised that the cool weather in his commune was suitable for raising dogs from the North Pole, so he decided to build a farm covering 1,400sqm with 28 cages and a playground for the dogs last year.

The farm is surrounded by trees and away from residential areas in Nam Anh District.

At first, Tien had a lot of difficulties raising different breeds of foreign dogs. They got ill, the food was not suitable for them, and he did not have the skills to take care of the pregnant mothers.

“I spent two months in HCM City learning all about that,” he said.

He also turned to Google and social media for advice.

Foreign dogs in Vietnam often contract skin and digestive-related diseases, so they need to have a healthy diet and be bathed and groomed regularly, he said.

At present, the dog farm is providing puppies for customers across the country, including Hanoi, HCM City and Can Tho. It also provides an artificial insemination service.

"Everything works well," he said.

Tien is currently thinking about expanding his farm to 50 cages and growing more grass in the dogs’ playground. If the farm does expand, he will hire an additional 4-5 workers to take care of the dogs.

Tien is a member of dog lovers’ club in the province’s Buon Ho Town where he shares his experiences with local youngsters who want to start raising foreign dogs.

Vu Minh Cuong, vice chairman of the Viet Nam Youth Union in Krong Buk District, said Tien’s story was a good example for local youngsters interested in starting their own businesses.

The union planned to set up a co-operative to provide knowledge on how to train and trade pets, he said.

“Raising a dog not only requires a meticulous nature, you also need a love for our canine friends,” Tien said, while playing with his dogs on his farm.

Source: VNS