The founder of Dapper Dogs Femi Akanji shares his passion for animals with us, and how it led to the creation of Dapper Dogs.
His Story
Through my little lifetime on planet earth, I have come to love pets, dogs and birds….grew up with them from the age of 7. I remember back when I wanted to get my first dog, I had saved some considerable amount of money about, N200 to be exact (laughs), lol…at least it was enough to buy a mongrel with for a start…..I had gone to my dad and begged him to let me buy a dog with my own money, at first he said no….I told him but I always wanted a dog and I had saved to buy him…..so he considered it and told me “I can have him on the following conditions; that I feed him myself, bathe him, clean up after him and take him to the vet for his shots and if I don’t, he would give him away”…..I said yes I will….just like a newlywed saying I do……and that’s when the journey for the love of dogs began for me.
At the time, my dad was a military officer, and so I always had soldiers around me, I was so used to the military paraphernalia to the point I named my first dog ‘Sarg’ short for Sergent…..he was my Sergent, I would bark orders at him, play tug of war, go on walks…..we did a lot together but I couldn’t get him to do a lot of commands….I tried all I could to train him back in the days but nothing happened, it was very frustrating and I got angry often that I couldn’t give him commands.
I had Sarg for about 3years until I went to secondary school. I would ask about Sarg, and they would tell me the maid was looking after him. So I came home for holidays at my third term and discovered Sarg was not in the house. His chain was empty…..where did you all put Sarg?…..then they broke the news to me…..The maid came forward to explain that Sarg had seen a female dog through the opened gate and he decided to run out of the house, she said she tried to chase him but because the gate was opened, Sarg had the chance to escape….My Sarg, he had eloped with a bitch… so sad…..I was sad but I actually didn’t cry, I felt he deserved to be with his kind to make babies and one day he may just come back….but Sag never came back. I later had several other dogs including Alsatians and a rottweiler
Over the years, my experience with dogs taught me a lot of things that till today I have imbibed the lessons in the way I treat my dogs. I finally learnt how to communicate with them, how to feed and when it was time for them to mate I never hold them back. I have 4 dogs now. A rottweiler and 3 Lhasa. I also own a training and boarding facility…..over the years as I have come to terms with my love for Animals I have decided to put in my own quota to the knowledge of their wellbeing and how humans can treat them better, care for them and love them.
About Dapper Dogs
To this end, I started a dog club in Abuja, Dapper Dogs, to bring true dog lovers together for friendship and support. We do a lot of fun activities together, we go on walks together, have barbecue parties, play games and so much more. We are gradually building a family of true dog lovers and we are being heard about all over the state. I offer training, boarding and grooming services for my members at a token fee. I have been told to make it a franchise though because Dapper Dogs is a unique brand and needs to be across more states in the federation. I hope to do so someday but with true dog lovers and not just businessmen. For now, our slogan “At Dapper Dogs, we board, We train, We pamper is what we do……So if you are a true dog lover and you like to have fun, be part of the Dapper Dogs family and you and your furry friend would never remain the same.
We are opened for Boarding Services this festive period…so call me on 07068455538 and book a space for your furry friend…..Woof! Woof!
