Page 151 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

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.