15 dogs later, Okello still has room for more

But volleyball is not the only thing that Okello loves. In fact, he treasures the relationship he has with his dogs much more and spends most of his time playing with and feeding them.

Panther, Zoe and Kimmie are some of the dogs in Okello’s kennel at his home in Kisaasi, a Kampala suburb, and they greet their master’s arrival at the gate with continuous barking.

“That’s how they welcome me. First, we have to lock them up, get in then close the gate and release them,” Okello tells this reporter.

The reason for this is to ensure the dogs do not endanger any strangers who might be within close proximity. The total population of dogs at Okello’s home is 15, with seven mature ones and eight puppies. Upon disembarking from the car, Zoe and Kimmie run to embrace Okello, while Panther and Bali, still locked up, continue to bark.

From way back

From childhood, Okello and dogs have been inseparable. He recalls his younger days when they would help him out with chasing after goats while grazing. And his father knew exactly what the son liked when he decided to gift him a German Shepherd during his P.7 vacation. That was the first dog he owned and he has never looked back.

Even while still studying at Uganda Christian University, before choosing to go pro with his volleyball career, Okello owned a dog that kept him company.

“I love animals basically but I am more into dogs because of barking, listening to commands. I know I am very safe when I'm with them.”

Rare breeds

The breeds Okello keeps are not those you will find loitering on Kampala streets. They are breeds he gets whenever he goes out for his pro stints, and the first one was Kimmie, a Japanese Kishu he acquired during the Covid-19 lockdown in South Korea. The Kishu, sometimes called Kishu Inu or Kishu dog, is a Japanese breed of dog. It is descended from ancient medium-sized breeds and named after the Kishu region, now Mie Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture.

“The loneliness in South Korea forced me to buy a dog and that’s how I got Kimmie. Airports had been closed, my wife was in Uganda and we were not playing.”

After the lockdown, Okello acquired Panther, a Cane Corso which was three months old and could not be transported straight away to Uganda. The Cane Corso is an Italian breed of mastiff. It is usually kept as a companion dog or guard dog; it may also be used to protect livestock.

“I needed a bigger breed for several reasons. They are easy to train, strong, have muscles and strong jaws.”

Tough to fly

It is one thing to own a dog and another to move it from one country to another. A full vaccination report, pet passport, microchip, flight ticket for you and pet are some of the basic requirements before putting your pet on a flight.

“It is much easier to fly with the dog than move it on its own. It would be very expensive because you would then have to get it onto a pet airline,” Okello notes.

The pet has to be in an airline cage with enough water and food to take it through the journey. Airlines also apply a first come, first serve approach and cannot mix up animals. That means that if you find a cat already booked on a flight, you cannot get on with your dog. Access to public spaces in Uganda also remains a challenge for Okello and his pet friends.

Whereas it is acceptable to walk around with your pet, several spaces do not admit dogs, limiting owners to interact with them only when they return home. And with 15 dogs at his home, taking them around for a walk has proven an impossible venture.

“It’s not possible to walk around with all of them so I move with one at a time. That way, I am able to control it and ensure it doesn't harm anyone around.”

Back home, the caretaker has to be alert all the time to ensure the dogs do not attack anyone. Locked up for most of the time, the dogs are let loose to stroll around the compound every now and then to ensure they release some stress and energy.

Challenges

Keeping dogs at home requires the owner to be extra vigilant to ensure they do not cause any sort of trouble in the neighbourhood. And locking them up might not be enough as Okello came to notice when Panther attacked and bit Trevor, his friend who lives with him at home.

“He found the dogs fighting and I think through reflex action, Panther attacked and bit him. We had to rush him to the hospital immediately,” Okello revealed.

To ensure that doesn’t happen to strangers, there is a caretaker who feeds the dogs and ensures to lock them up whenever the gate is going to be opened.

“If you don’t lock them up, they might stray outside and endanger anyone passing by.”

When he has visitors, Okello is forced to be home early and also limit his movements. The dogs are released to stroll through the compound at 7.30pm, meaning that the owner has to be home before that.

Big on food

One of the biggest challenges for any dog keeper is feeding them, and Okello’s case is not different. Feeding is one of the areas he spends on most, with dog cereal, meat and porridge as the options. For the puppies, which do not feed on meat yet, they are given cereal.

“For the younger ones, feeding is a lot more expensive. They feed on about 15kg to 20kg of cereal in a week.”

Taking an example of Josera JosiDog Economy Dog Food, the 15kg bag costs between Shs120,000 and Shs150,000, bringing the monthly expenditure to between Shs480,000 and Shs600,000.

In order to cut costs, Okello has added porridge to the puppies’ diet. For the older ones, enough bones and cow hooves from Lufula cost about Shs200,000 and can take the dogs through the entire month.

Vaccination

Vaccination is a key component of preventive medicine in dogs, just like it is the case in people. The purpose of vaccination is to stimulate the immune system against infection before exposure to a disease.

Dogs receive several vaccines that are routinely given as the core defence against serious infectious illness like parvovirus, rabies, distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, influenza. Thereafter, booster vaccinations are given every year throughout the dog’s life to ensure ongoing protection.

Anti-Parvovirus Vaccine, Anti-Rabies Vaccine and Cocktail Vaccine (DHPP-L) are the vaccines available in Uganda. Parvovirus, which is the main cause of death in puppies, equally occurs in adult unvaccinated dogs and can lead to death. It causes severe diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and dehydration.

Rabies is the other disease that can cross from wild animals to dogs and from dogs to humans. Cocktail vaccine offers protection against several diseases, which include Canine Distemper, Canine Adenovirus, Parvovirus, Canine Parainfluenza or kennel cough and Leptospirosis.

Breeding

Recently, Okello sold off three of his puppies at Shs3m each, something that has opened his eyes to the breeding business in future. The 29-year-old believes he still has about five years of playing at the top level before focussing fully on his other businesses.

“It (breeding business) is something I am thinking about, especially with the rare breeds.”

Okello will end his break in January to return to professional volleyball and, from there, he intends to return with a mastiff, a large and powerful type of dog. Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short and the ears drooping and pendant-shaped.