DogBuddy

What DogBuddy does

DogBuddy was a UK-based, peer-to-peer marketplace that connected dog owners with local, independent pet sitters offering home dog boarding, doggy day care, and dog walking services. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in London, the platform aggregated more than 30,000 vetted sitters across 35+ UK cities and reported over 500,000 cumulative dog nights served. Operationally it functioned as a standard two-sided listing marketplace: dog owners searched by postcode, read reviews, and booked and paid online, while sitters set their own rates and were onboarded with background checks.

Underlying technology was a consumer marketplace web platform (no native app, no API, no disclosed SDK) augmented with GPS-tracked walks and photo/video update tooling on the sitter side and an included insurance wrapper (public liability cover and a vet reimbursement line) on the buyer side. The company added incremental trust infrastructure such as a 24/7 emergency vet care line, but did not disclose any proprietary AI/ML, data flywheel, or developer platform.

The revenue model was a marketplace commission on each booking, with supply-side sitters pricing per walk, per day, or per night at unit prices typically ranging from £7 to £50 depending on service type and location. Go-to-market was self-serve, online-first, supported by SEO city pages, blog content, and PR coverage in UK national press. The company was acquired by Rover, the larger US-based pet care marketplace, and its UK web traffic is now redirected to Rover.com, effectively ending DogBuddy's status as an independent operating entity.

Name

DogBuddy

Legal name

DogBuddy

Website

https://uk.dogbuddy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DogBuddy was a UK-based peer-to-peer marketplace connecting dog owners with vetted local pet sitters for home boarding, day care, and walking; founded 2013 in London and acquired by Rover.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Care Marketplace

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910)

akta.pro primary industry

Pet Care & Pet Services Platforms (Sitting, Walking, Grooming) (BPAMAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dog Daycare with Boarding Add-On (Daycare + Overnight) (HSANAFAM)

Keywords

• Pet care marketplace
• Dog boarding services
• Dog walking platform
• Pet sitting marketplace
• Home dog boarding

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Service fees / Transaction commission: DogBuddy operates as a marketplace platform taking a commission on bookings between dog owners and pet sitters. Dog sitters list their services on the platform and pay a fee (or the platform takes a cut) for each booking facilitated through the site.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DogBuddy operates a peer-to-peer online marketplace that connects UK dog owners with independent, vetted local pet sitters for home dog boarding, doggy day care, dog walking, and dog sitting services. The platform handles search by postcode, sitter reviews, online booking and payment, and bundles a £1.7M public liability insurance and £2,000 vet reimbursement coverage with every booking. Following acquisition by Rover, the UK website now redirects users to Rover.com for the booking experience.

Product overview

DogBuddy is a pet care marketplace platform offering a unified service portfolio of dog sitting, dog walking, dog boarding, and doggy day care services across the United Kingdom. The platform connects dog owners with a network of over 30,000 vetted local dog sitters, facilitating bookings and providing a Peace of Mind insurance package (£1.7M public liability + £2,000 vet reimbursement) as a standard inclusion. The core offering consists of the DogBuddy marketplace (now integrated with Rover.com following acquisition) supporting four primary service categories: Home Dog Boarding (overnight stays), Doggy Day Care (daytime care), Dog Walking (individual or regular walks), and Dog Sitting, all with GPS tracking and photo/video update capabilities. The company has expanded across multiple UK cities including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol, Leeds, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Reading, and numerous other locations. DogBuddy.com uses cookies, including third-party ones, to provide services and for marketing purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dog Boarding Overnight home dog boarding service where dogs stay with a vetted local pet sitter in the sitter's home, providing a home-from-home environment alternative to traditional kennels. Pricing is set per night (typical range £15-50/night depending on location and sitter) and includes the platform's £1.7M public liability insurance and £2,000 vet reimbursement.
• Doggy Day Care Daytime dog care service where dogs spend the day at a vetted sitter's home, providing supervision, play, and companionship while owners are at work or otherwise unavailable during the day. Day care listings are priced per day (typical range £14-35/day) and are covered by the platform's standard insurance package.
• Dog Walking Dog walking service connecting owners with local dog walkers for regular or one-off walks. Individual sitters set their own rates, with walks typically ranging from £7-20 per walk depending on location. Walks include free photo, video, and GPS-tracked updates from the walker, and all bookings are covered by the platform's insurance package.
• Dog Sitting Broader marketplace service category on the platform covering short-term and at-home pet sitting engagements between dog owners and vetted independent sitters. Bookings are facilitated online through the marketplace (now redirected to Rover.com/uk post-acquisition) with insurance and 24/7 vet line coverage included.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000 experienced, vetted dog sitters available
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rover.comcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDogBuddy has been acquired by and is now part of Rover.com. The company has migrated to Rover's platform, with DogBuddy users redirected to Rover.com for bookings. This represents a significant strategic partnership where DogBuddy's UK market presence and customer base were absorbed into Rover's global pet care platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rover: Global pet care marketplace offering dog boarding, sitting, walking, and day care. Rover is both the most direct competitor and now the parent company of DogBuddy, having absorbed its UK operations.
• Wag!: US-focused on-demand dog walking, boarding, and sitting marketplace. Directly comparable two-sided marketplace model and service portfolio to DogBuddy, though US-only.
• BorrowMyDoggy: UK-based community platform connecting dog owners with borrowers for walking, sitting, and weekend fostering. Closest UK-native direct competitor to DogBuddy in geography and service mix.
• Pawshake: European pet care marketplace operating across multiple countries for dog boarding, sitting, walking, and day care. Highly comparable marketplace model with overlapping service categories and broader geographic reach than DogBuddy.
• TrustedHousesitters: UK-founded global house- and pet-sitting platform connecting homeowners and pet owners with trusted sitters. Overlaps with DogBuddy on home-based pet sitting but adds a house-sitting dimension.
• PetBacker: Asia-headquartered global pet care marketplace offering boarding, sitting, walking, grooming, and day care. Comparable two-sided marketplace with multi-vertical pet services like DogBuddy.
• HouseMyDog: UK-based dog boarding and home-from-home sitting marketplace. Direct competitor in the same geography focused on overnight home boarding, a core DogBuddy service.
• Tailster: UK-based platform connecting dog owners with local dog walkers, boarders, and sitters. Comparable marketplace model and UK geographic focus to DogBuddy.

Regional players

• Cat in a Flat: UK-focused cat-sitting marketplace. Same country and marketplace model as DogBuddy but specialized on cats, demonstrating an adjacent vertical that could expand the platform's addressable market.

Broad incumbents

• Pets at Home: UK's largest specialist pet retailer and veterinary care provider (via Vets4Pets). While not a marketplace, its in-store grooming, vet, and loyalty ecosystem represents an incumbent that could launch competing pet-care services at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dogbuddyco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3090753

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DogBuddy