Cuban entrepreneur Yuneisi Mier, who trained as a veterinary doctor 18 years ago, has been self-employed since 2012. Focused on animal grooming and esthetics, her business, called Maskotín, arose after a period of training in pet care and treatment at Havana’s Carlos III Clinic.
She acknowledges that Cuba lacks a market supplying the necessary inputs for this type of venture, which means a dependence on the importation of products. However, during the two years of the pandemic, and in view of the closure of international flights, healthy alternatives such as the use of coconut oil have been implemented.
In her opinion, there are few similar ventures because of the complexity of the profession. Among its peculiarities are cleanliness, patience and the constant search for solutions. To guarantee the quality of the work, she assures, it is essential to take good care of the pets and to meet the client’s expectations.
The maxim of the business, which she runs together with her husband Juan Carlos Neyra, is the love for animals, sensitivity and continuous information and training, including that associated with topics such as canine and feline psychology. The result: in the past two years, the number of visitors and requests for services has increased.
The offers include grooming; bathing with ear and perianal gland cleaning, nail clipping, drying and combing; treatment with flea and tick products and, on some occasions, internal deworming of the pet.
In addition, Mier received online training associated with massages; and during pet grooming, she applies her hydromassage knowledge and techniques. She also values the responsibility of the business, as “the dogs and cats that are brought to us are like children, part of the family and very dear to us.”
Most of the services last a minimum of one hour. Pet owners, similar to a day care center, leave their furry friends in the care of Yuneisi and Juan Carlos, who watch over them and take measures to ensure that they do not run away, that there is distance between the animals present and that they enjoy the process.
Other virtues of Maskotín are the trust created among pet owners, the welfare-oriented work, the calm environment in the grooming salon, the personalized attention, respect and the clearing up of any doubts, as noted by the young stylist.
