Raising Irish Terriers

 Raising Irish Terriers 

   WHAT you can do with the hobby you have acquired has been demonstrated by Jules Beaumont, who a few years ago acquired the lease of a garage on the rear of a building lot near Chicago’s “Gold Coast” and started his own kennels. Beaumont had been given two pedigreed Irish Terriers, and was so attached to them that he had rented the vacant garage property as a home for the dogs and their puppies. People in the neighborhood noticed the fine breed and form of the animals, and stopped to buy the puppies. He held his prices high, not caring whether he sold them or not. Before he realized it, he was in the money in a big way, averaging better than three hundred a month from the sale of blooded dogs and supplies to dog owners. “I am touching on a controversial subject when I mention dog intelligence,” declared Beaumont, “but I believe the owners of Irish Terriers will agree that they are about the most intelligent of the dog kingdom. These terriers I had at the beginning had good pedigrees, and they never failed to attract the attention of anyone passing the kennels. One day a woman wanted one so badly for her boy, then about fifteen, that I couldn’t resist selling it, though I didn’t want to. In the end she paid a hundred and fifty dollars for it. I thought that was a lot of money at the time, so let her have it. I had four puppies of the Irish Terrier breed, but within a week, friends of that woman had called, and each insisted on getting one of those puppies. As orders came in for the pups of the next litters, I decided to go into dog breeding. At this time, I didn’t have any money left that I could invest in additional dogs, so I cared for and watched over those I had. When the litters came in, I noticed the people who had ordered. I made enough from the sale of the dogs to break even during the first six months, and got a good profit out of the sale of accessories, such as dog food, harnesses, leashes, and dog medicines. “There were other sources of profit. Few people can see a cute puppy without handling it a great deal. Some make it play until it’s tired. Others feed it too much. The pup, therefore, from well meant overdoses of kindness in one direction or another, becomes run down, and suffers from various types of illness. In addition, pups are subject to worms, and frequently the owner neglects to worm them. The result is a sluggish, sick puppy. These are but a few of the abuses a dog receives almost from the day it is bought. As the kennel from which the dog was secured is the first place the owner goes for advice and treatment, one soon accumulates side lines that are profitable, and cost but little. For instance, many dogs that are seemingly ill only need to be placed in a warm dry spot and left without food for a day or so. This treatment means little or no expense to the kennel, but, of course, the owner is glad to pay well for getting his dog back in good condition. “As a rule, a litter will have two males or more and one or two females. The males are always in big demand and bring good prices; the females are generally lower priced. The females from my first litters were sold, but I kept those from subsequent litters for breeding, and in two years have greatly increased the productivity of the kennels. Later I added other popular breeds as I found there are certain breeds of dogs which capture the public favor and for which people will pay more money than others. In this group are the Sealyham, Pekingese, Pomeranian, Wire-haired Fox Terrier, Dalmatian, and some Collies. “Many believe that it requires a lot of money to start a kennel. This, however, is a myth. I never had much money until after I had a good start in the kennel business. As a matter of fact, my total investment for blooded stock was less than three hundred dollars. It cost me about seventy dollars to turn the abandoned garage into a suitable kennel for dog breeding. I discovered that while you may have little trouble selling a few puppies to people who pass your kennels, you have to do a little merchandising to sell a good many dogs. I use the easiest method, which is holding a dog show at the kennels. I don’t place dogs I have for sale in these kennel shows, but enter only the dogs of my customers and their friends. Those who condition their dogs properly are the owners who receive the blue and gold ribbons. These dog shows not only attract new customers, but also increase the sale of supplies and accessories. They are open to all blooded dogs whose owners care to enter them.” You may start an Irish Terrier kennel in your home. A good female is usually all the stock you need to start, and may be purchased for around forty to fifty dollars. When old enough, she may be put at stud with a pedigreed male at one of the first-class kennels. The fee for studding is usually one male of the litter. By retaining the females of each litter, you soon will be able to have a number of puppies for sale. If you are unable to get good prices yourself or want to sell wholesale only, any kennel, recognized by the American Kennel Club, will buy your puppies and resell them for you.