What DogVacay does

DogVacay operated an online two-sided marketplace that connected dog owners with a national network of background-checked, home-based pet sitters for boarding, in-home pet sitting, daycare, and dog walking services. The platform was built as a self-serve, fully transactional site and mobile app: pet owners searched by city, reviewed sitter profiles and ratings, booked and paid online, and received daily photo updates during the stay, with every reservation backed by premium pet insurance and 24/7 customer support. Underlying technology was a standard marketplace stack centered on host profiles, search/browse, booking flow, payments, reviews, and city-specific SEO landing pages for each of the 19+ US metros served.

The company's revenue model was a marketplace commission on bookings, with per-night pricing varying by city, sitter experience, and service type — sampled rates ranging from $17 in Charlotte to $80 in New York. Go-to-market was product-led: no sales team was required, with growth driven by SEO, a pet-care blog, and word-of-mouth referrals from both pet owners and sitters. The two customer segments were pet owners needing care (the primary monetizing side) and pet sitters seeking supplemental income (the supply side). By the time of acquisition, DogVacay had tens of thousands of listed hosts in its largest metros, including 17,282 in Los Angeles, 13,756 in New York, 7,460 in Chicago, and 5,849 in Houston.

DogVacay was founded in 2011 in Santa Monica, California, and raised approximately $47M across four funding rounds between 2012 and 2014 from investors including Benchmark, First Round Capital, Foundation Capital, OMERS Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz. In 2017 the company merged with competitor Rover.com, and the DogVacay domain now redirects users to Rover, effectively ending independent operations under the DogVacay brand.

Name

DogVacay

Legal name

DogVacay

Website

http://dogvacay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DogVacay was an online two-sided marketplace founded in 2011 that connected pet owners with background-checked, home-based pet sitters for boarding, in-home sitting, daycare, and dog walking across 19+ US metros, monetizing via commission on bookings.

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

Live-In In-Home Pet Sitting (24/7 Presence) (HSANAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

In-Home Dog Daycare (HSANAFAJ), Cage-Free / Open-Play Dog Daycare (HSANAFAC), Dog Daycare with Boarding Add-On (Daycare + Overnight) (HSANAFAM), Luxury / Premium Dog Daycare (HSANAFAI), Pet Services (Grooming, Training, Daycare) (CRALAIAJ)

Keywords

• Pet care marketplace
• Dog boarding services
• Pet sitting platform
• Dog daycare services
• Dog walking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Commission: DogVacay operates as a two-sided marketplace taking a commission on bookings made through the platform. Pet owners pay for boarding/sitting services and the company retains a percentage as revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DogVacay operates an online marketplace that connects dog owners with local, background-checked pet sitters offering home-based overnight boarding, daytime daycare, pet sitting at the owner's home, and dog walking services. The platform enables pet owners to browse, book, and pay for pet care online, while third-party sitters set their own per-night rates and earn income by hosting or caring for pets in their homes. Following the 2017 acquisition by Rover.com, DogVacay's user base is migrating to Rover's unified marketplace platform.

Product overview

DogVacay is a pet care marketplace platform that connects pet owners with local, trusted pet sitters. The platform operates as a unified service offering four core pet care products: Dog Boarding (overnight stays in sitters' homes), Pet Sitting (in-home care at the owner's residence), Dog Daycare (daytime care), and Dog Walking. The service is now transitioning to the Rover platform. DogVacay differentiates itself through trust and safety features including background-checked sitters, 24/7 customer support, premium pet insurance coverage on every reservation, and daily photo updates for pet owners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dog Boarding Overnight dog boarding where pets stay in a trusted local sitter's home rather than a traditional kennel, providing cage-free, loving care while owners travel. Available across 19+ major US metros with per-night rates varying by city and host.
• Pet Sitting In-home pet sitting where sitters care for pets at the owner's residence, suitable for owners who prefer to have their pets stay in their own home while they are away.
• Dog Daycare Daytime dog care provided in a cozy home environment with a loving sitter, designed for owners who are at work or out for the day and want an alternative to leaving their pet alone.
• Dog Walking Dog walking services provided by local trusted pet sitters, available as a standalone or add-on booking for owners needing exercise or outdoor time for their dogs.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

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 PartnerDogVacay has merged with/joined the Rover.com platform. DogVacay users are being redirected to Rover.com for booking services. The companies combined to create the nation's largest pet sitting marketplace.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Cat in a Flat: Cat in a Flat is a marketplace specifically for cat sitting and home visits across European cities. Partial overlap with DogVacay's in-home pet sitting, narrower species focus.

Direct peers

• Pawshake: Pawshake is an online marketplace for pet sitting, dog walking, boarding and daycare, operating across Europe, Australia and Canada. It is a direct functional peer to DogVacay in markets outside the US.
• Wag!: Wag! is a two-sided pet care marketplace connecting pet owners with dog walkers, boarders and sitters. It competes head-to-head with DogVacay across on-demand walking and overnight boarding in major US cities.
• TrustedHousesitters: TrustedHousesitters is a global marketplace matching pet owners with sitters who provide in-home pet care (typically in exchange for accommodation rather than cash). It overlaps with DogVacay's pet sitting value proposition.
• Rover.com: Rover.com is a pet care marketplace offering dog boarding, sitting, daycare and walking. It is DogVacay's closest direct competitor and has since acquired DogVacay, making it both a peer and now parent platform.

Broad incumbents

• Petco: Petco offers full-service veterinary, grooming, training and boarding across its US store footprint, competing with DogVacay in pet care services through its in-store and partner network rather than a marketplace model.
• PetSmart (PetsHotel): PetSmart operates PetsHotel boarding and Doggie Day Camp facilities within its retail stores nationwide, plus an in-store adoption and training ecosystem. It is a broad incumbent offering boarding and daycare as part of a much wider pet retail portfolio.

Others

• BarkBox: BarkBox is a subscription-based pet product (toys, treats, chews) business. Not a direct competitor but a leading brand in adjacent pet-owner marketing and engagement channels that touch the same customer base.

Regional players

• Gudog: Gudog is a European dog boarding marketplace connecting owners with vetted hosts in Spain and other EU markets. Same core marketplace model as DogVacay but with regional European rather than US concentration.
• Holidog: Holidog is a European pet-sitting and dog-walking marketplace operating primarily in France and other EU countries. Comparable business model to DogVacay but geographically focused on Europe rather than the US.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DogVacay
• Facebookfacebook.com/DogVacay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2464697

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors12 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about DogVacay