Black History Month: Lee County entrepreneur talks about success and happiness

Reporter: Annette Montgomery Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:
Entrepreneur Merical Datus (CREDIT: WINK News)

Spreading joy and opening a business for dogs. Don’t the two go hand-in-hand?

Lee County entrepreneur Merical Datus is officially opening his doggie daycare and grooming services business.

“It’s not about, oh, a dog business succeeding or an old black man succeeding, but a human being succeeding at all costs,” said Datus.

Emotions guided a lot of Datus’ younger years.

“In those days, I had nothing but emotion because I was a young Haitian boy, again, in the 1990s, war-torn civil war,” Datus said. “Part of my story is I ran, literally ran from my country to come here as a political refugee, because my Uncle Milson got murdered at gunpoint.”

Now Datus can look back on those years with a certain appreciation for the struggle that played a major role in creating the person and entrepreneur that he is today.

“When we had that upbringing where there was so much disappointment, so much discouragement, so many letdowns by the adults and those in charge, you sort of don’t believe anymore,” Datus said. “We must thereby live intentionally, with purpose, regardless of what emotions we’re charged with, right?”

That intention drove this interview to honor Black History Month in Southwest Florida: to feature a man who, against all odds, created a business with the purpose of showing that it can be done.

“Culture is important. Values are important. Our history is important,” said Datus. “Our ancestors held on to these things because they were important. They were valuable to them, whether it be religion, whether it be ethics, morals, you name it. Both the good and the bad were handed out to us, and every generation, we hold within our grasp the responsibility to decipher the good from the bad and hand that goodness down to the next generation.”

Datus has a one-stop shop for all things dogs, from training to grooming to breeding, to walking, to house visits, but his heart doesn’t just go into helping the pets: he also enjoys helping the owners.

If you’re interested in learning more about Datus and his business, keep up with him on Facebook.

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