Listening to the all too familiar howls and barks from a pack of hounds forms part of his daily duties. Sammy Ndwiga has been training dogs for the last three decades and he loves his job.
He learnt the skill while working as a police constable in the dog training unit in Eldoret.
When he left police service in 1991, Ndwiga ventured into training dogs for institutions and individuals through his firm, Yako Kenya Dog Trainers.
He initially operated in Embu Town from a rented room but later relocated to his home place of Gambari Village, Embu West Sub-county, to cut costs. It is a job he performs with dedication and which he says provides his daily bread.
"I left the police force while my children were still young and decided to try my hands at dog training," he says.
Ndwiga also trains pets for people within their facilities. He also trains dog handlers for security firms and institutions such as schools and issues them with certificates of merit.
"I train dogs on narcotics and explosive detection, obedience, attack and tracking. An obedient dog will detect poison and won't eat anything it comes across," he says.
He charges Sh20,000 to train an ordinary dog, Sh50,000 for breeds like the Caucasian shepherd and St Bernard whose puppies cost about Sh150,000.
From this business, he has educated three of his children through university. His last born is in the final year in university.
He trains small dogs and also has in-house refresher training for big dogs.
Among Ndwiga's clients is Nyangwa Boys High school, which takes its dog for refresher training.
Musyoka Moshe, the school principal, said dogs sometimes forget their commands hence refresher courses remind them to ensure the safety of the school and not to attack students.
He said incidents of breakages into teachers' houses, which used to be rampant, have since stopped. Students also find it hard to sneak out of school at night.
