Pet vendors in Menteng offer bargains

Pet vendors in Menteng offer bargains

By Fitriyanti Djoni

JAKARTA (JP): A luxury sedan slows down to a halt right in
front of some cages of puppies for sale on Jl. Latuharhary, in
the Menteng area of Central Jakarta.

A smartly dressed man gets out and dives right into bargaining
with a seller for a spotlessly white two-month-old poodle. The
seller starts with a price of Rp 250,000 (US$33) but after some
haggling agrees to let go of the puppy for Rp 200,000.

The buyer, Irwan, says that he has a collection of various
pets, including several dogs that he has bought either on Jl.
Latuharhary or Jl. Cimahi, also in Menteng.

"You can buy a dog here at almost half the price offered in a
pet shop," he tells The Jakarta Post.

He says the dogs that he has bought in these areas five years
ago are still in good health. "Once every six months I take them
to a vet for a shot," he adds.

According to him, only a certificate of pet ownership is the
distinguishing factor between buying a pet in a pet shop and
purchasing it from a roadside vendor.

"The certificate is only for formality's sake. You can easily
have a certificate giving the genealogy of the dog made," he says
chuckling.

Chu Ang, 36, who has been selling dogs on Jl. Latuharhari
since 1979, concurs with Irwan. The puppies he sells are pure
breeds -- poodles, dalmatians, boomers and even German shepherds.

He says that most buyers cannot be fooled. They can easily see
whether a puppy is a pure breed or not.

"There is a marked difference between a pure breed and a mixed
breed. And I never want to disappoint my regular customers," he
says to the Post.

He usually buys puppies once a week directly from a breeder in
Semarang, Central Java.

"A puppy of about one to two months old can cost between Rp
25,000 and Rp 50,000. The breeder usually has already had the
puppy vaccinated. A single vaccination costs Rp 12,000," he says.

In Jakarta, he says he can sell one puppy for between Rp
150,000 and Rp 350,000.

According to him, puppies usually sell easily. Within three
days the puppies he buys in Semarang will have a new owner. It is
rare if it takes as much as two weeks for a newly arrived puppy
to be sold.

"German shepherds usually take longer to sell because I get
them older (about five to six months) and they are more expensive
(about Rp 600,000 per head)," he explains.

He budgets Rp 150,000 a month to feed his stock of 10 puppies.
Some of the puppies get special dog food mixed with cooked rice.

Although he has been selling dogs for close to two decades,
Ang still cannot afford to own a pet shop.

"The profit is not very big. I can survive because I can sell
puppies on a routine basis. A new puppy will take only 3 days
before it changes hands. I have four assistants now on a profit-
sharing basis. Every day they earn an average of Rp 12,500 and I
myself take a profit of between Rp 25,000 and Rp 50,000," says
Ang, a father of two.

Ang never buys dogs that have been illegally sold or stolen.

"Usually if someone comes here to offer me his dog or puppy, I
will ask to see his resident identity card as a guarantee against
if it is a stolen one," he adds.

His customers include both ordinary people and high-ranking
officials. "Mr. Cokropranolo, the former governor of Jakarta,
once bought a dog from me. Other famous people I have sold to
include Siswono Yudohusodo (while he was the minister of public
housing), actress Enny Beatrice, comedian Dono Warkop and
badminton star Lius Pongoh," he says.

Up to now, he has never received a complaint from any of his
customers.

Stolen

Oyek, 25, tells another story. He sells puppies on Jl. Cimahi,
also in Menteng. He started in the business when he was just 14.

Oyek works for Ah Yong, who rarely sees to the business
himself. Six assistants sell and take care of the puppies.

"This puppy is expensive and doesn't take heat well," he says
while moving one of the cages to a shadier place.

Each iron cage measures 50 cm x 50 cm, and is occupied by
three to five puppies, ranging from one to three months old.

These puppies come from either Semarang, or Ciloto, West Java.

Unlike Ang, who never wants to sell stolen puppies, Oyek buys
and sells stolen dogs to earn additional income without his boss
knowing it.

"I often sell stolen puppies. Why shouldn't I? My daily income
is just enough to make ends meet. But, of course, my boss knows
nothing about this," he says.

Once he bought a stolen dog. When the owner walked by looking
for his pet, the dog barked after recognizing his master. Oyek
could not give any excuses.

But since he had bought the dog instead of actually stealing
it, the owner had to buy back the dog at a price 20 percent
higher than what Oyek had paid for it.

"Once the son of a high-ranking official stole his father's
favorite pet because he was both frustrated and addicted to
drugs. He sold the dog to me. A few days later, the father came
to this place and recognized his dog.

"I was taken to a police station. I told him the whole truth.
Luckily, he bought my story. I convinced him that his own son had
stolen and sold me the dog. I even gave him a description of his
son. Finally he bought back the dog," he says.

"Some dog owners bring their dogs here and ask us to sell
them. These dogs usually sell easily because most of them were
well taken care of," he adds.

Oyek usually sells German shepherds priced between Rp 500,000
and Rp 600,000. He used to sell Angora, Siamese and other breeds
of cats as well.

"Cats don't sell easily, so now we only sell dogs," he says.

He also says that they are often subject to raids by police.

"We sell animals, but we are often chased like animals if a
raid takes place. We pay a (unofficial) levy of Rp 3,000 a day,
though," he says, adding that the amount would be just enough for
a packet of cigarettes.