Urban expansion and its consequent demographic explosion in Mérida have triggered new needs among its inhabitants, among them, dog day care centers.
It is well known that many people have come to live in the Yucatecan capital from other states of the republic; and being a city that grows vertically, its pets – especially if they are large – have nowhere to spend their energy.
Pet Yard is one of these relatively new initiatives in the city, where dog owners consume them more and more, since being from other states, trips are becoming more common every day.
Over five years of existence, this business has reinvented itself to offer other types of services, always focused on the well-being of pets, explained veterinarian José Luis Ojeda García, owner of the establishment.
Among them, the day trip stands out, he said, because there are dogs that have a lot of energy and their owners do not want to keep them locked up at home all the time, so they take them two or three times a week.
“The idea is that the dogs are loose in a good-sized garden, where they are watched at all times. So, they can be free and express themselves like dogs,” said the expert.
In addition to this initiative, there are others in Mérida focused on pet care such as Pet Chalet, El Jardín Canino, and Ciudad Mascota, to mention some of the places where dogs can live together, which is beneficial:
“This helps dogs feel confident and can function more easily through socialization so they can go to parks with other dogs or the beach, for example,” explained José Luis Ojeda.
Pet Yard, its owner explained, was one of the first businesses of this type in Mérida. Currently, he said, there are quite a few people in the city dedicated to this, which is evident in the proliferation of these businesses.
“I lived for a while in Playa del Carmen, where it is a very common business because most of the people who live there come from outside, so in low seasons they travel to their place of origin and need somewhere to leave their dogs.”
In that context, the entrepreneur realized that it was not a business model that existed in Mérida, a city in constant growth.
“I didn’t want to put the classic veterinary clinic, because I feel that it is a very saturated market. In addition, the pandemic contributed to the fact that, since people were locked up, their dogs need to be active.”
For José Luis Ojeda, dog daycares are a growing business in the Yucatecan capital, since the city is growing vertically and dogs do not have space to develop. “Many people come from abroad and at least once or twice a year they go on a trip to visit their relatives. The best season for business is the holidays, when everyone travels and leaves their dogs with us,” he concluded.
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