What Best Friends Pet Care does

Best Friends Pet Care is a privately held, employee-owned operator of pet care facilities headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. Founded in 1995, the company has grown to 80+ employee-owned locations across the United States, unified under a family of 30+ regional pet care brands (including Paws Pet Resorts, Wag Resort, The Watering Bowl, Triangle Pet Resort, and others) that operate under common Best Friends standards while retaining local identity. The company serves individual pet owners across the country, with a unique co-located presence at Walt Disney World serving resort guests, and operates as an acquisition platform for independent pet care businesses looking to sell.

The company's core product portfolio centers on five service lines: overnight boarding for dogs and cats (with tiered accommodations from standard rooms to luxury suites such as Vacation Villa and Club suites), dog daycare via the Canine Crew subscription membership program (6, 12, or unlimited monthly days), professional grooming, obedience and behavior training standardized by a national training team, and specialty add-ons (pool access, pet shuttles, enrichment programs). The technology stack supporting these services is operational rather than differentiated: webcam-based remote pet monitoring in playrooms and boarding suites, an online reservation platform, and iOS and Android mobile applications for booking and pet profile management. Pricing varies by location and accommodation tier, with boarding on a per-night basis (one-night deposit at reservation, full payment at check-in), grooming on per-service unit pricing, and daycare on a recurring monthly subscription.

The business model combines per-unit transactional revenue (boarding, grooming, training) with a recurring subscription layer (Canine Crew monthly memberships) and supplemental add-ons (Nightly News updates, Pet Report Cards, pool and shuttle services). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on local social media presence, themed promotional events at day camps, and new-customer acquisition offers such as First Night Free for boarding and First Day Free for day camp. In December 2023, Turning Rock Partners provided a growth investment to fund the company's expansion and acquisition strategy, with completed acquisitions including Wag Resort and BARKS Dog Day Care in 2024. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Best Friends Pet Care

Legal name

Best Friends Pet Care, Inc.

Website

https://bestfriendspetcare.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Best Friends Pet Care is an employee-owned operator of 80+ pet care facilities across the United States, offering boarding, daycare, grooming, and training services to individual pet owners under a unified family of 30+ regional brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Care Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Pet Services (Grooming, Training, Daycare) (CRALAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mixed-Species Boarding Kennel (Dogs & Cats) (HSANADAC)

Keywords

• Pet boarding services
• Dog daycare
• Pet grooming
• Dog training
• Pet care facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwalk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Boarding Services: Overnight pet boarding services with various room types including standard rooms, indoor suites, indoor/outdoor suites, and luxury options like Vacation Villa and Club suites. Revenue is generated on a per-night basis with rates varying by location and accommodation type. A one-night deposit is required at reservation with full payment at check-in.
2. Dog Daycare (Canine Crew): Dog day camp membership program offering 6, 12, or unlimited days per month with automatic monthly billing. Includes group play supervised by trained caregivers, enrichment games, and themed activities.
3. Grooming Services: Professional pet grooming services including baths, trims, breed-specific cuts, shedicures (de-shedding treatments), and customized grooming packages. Pricing varies by breed, size, and services selected.
4. Dog Training: Training programs including private, group, and board-and-train options standardized by a national training team. Covers obedience and behavior programs.
5. Specialty Services: Additional services including pet shuttles, pool access, cuddle time add-ons, Nightly News updates, go-home fresh baths, and enrichment/adventure programs. These are add-on services to core boarding and daycare.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Best Friends Pet Care operates a network of 80+ employee-owned pet care facilities across the United States offering overnight boarding, daycare, grooming, training, and specialty services for dogs, cats, and other companion animals. The company unifies 30+ regional pet care brand names under a single operational standard, delivering services directly through company-owned locations while maintaining local brand identities.

Product overview

Best Friends Pet Care operates as a unified network of 80+ employee-owned pet care facilities across the United States, offering boarding, daycare, grooming, training, and specialty services. The core service portfolio centers on Dog Boarding, Cat Boarding, Dog Daycare (Canine Crew), Dog Training, and Grooming, with add-on modules including Specialty Services, Enrichment Programs, Play & Stay group play, webcam monitoring, Nightly News updates, and Pet Report Cards. The company powers multiple regional pet care brands under a single operational standard, providing consistent care quality across all locations while maintaining local brand identities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Canine Crew: Day camp membership program for dogs requiring an interview and screening process for group play settings.
• Play & Stay

Products and services

• Dog Boarding Overnight boarding service providing safe, comfortable accommodations for dogs with a range of suite options including standard rooms, indoor suites, indoor/outdoor suites, and luxury options such as Vacation Villa and Club suites. Includes add-ons like pool play, cuddle time, Nightly News updates, and webcam monitoring.
• Cat Boarding Specialized overnight boarding accommodations designed for feline guests, providing cozy care and comfortable spaces for cats at company facilities.
• Dog Daycare (Canine Crew) Supervised dog day camp with group play, enrichment games, and themed activities. Available as a monthly membership program (Canine Crew) with 6, 12, or unlimited day options featuring automatic monthly billing.
• Dog Training Professional obedience and behavior training programs including private, group, and board-and-train options, standardized by a national training team across all locations.
• Grooming Professional pet grooming services including baths, trims, breed-specific cuts, shedicure de-shedding treatments, and customized grooming packages for dogs and cats.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ employee-owned facilities nationwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wellness PetminorOthersWellness Pet partnered with Best Friends Pet Care during Pet Dental Health Month to promote dental care awareness. The partnership includes promotion of WHIMZEES dental treats for dogs and cats, which are sold at Best Friends locations.
• VIP PetcareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIP Petcare partners with Best Friends Pet Care at many locations to offer on-site veterinary vaccinations and wellness services. These clinics are staffed by licensed veterinarians, cost-effective with no exam fee, and offer a full array of vaccinations for boarding pets.
• Honest PawsminorOthersHonest Paws CBD Calm products are sold at all Best Friends Pet Care locations to help anxious pets during grooming and boarding. Best Friends recommends these products for pets experiencing anxiety.
• Walt Disney WorldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBest Friends Pet Care operates a location at Walt Disney World providing pet boarding and daycare services exclusively for Disney resort guests. The Disney location offers pickup service from Disney properties including Fort Wilderness Resort, Art of Animation, Port Orleans Riverside, and Yacht Club. This is a unique co-located service arrangement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Camp Bow Wow: Camp Bow Wow is a franchise-based dog daycare, boarding, and grooming network with hundreds of U.S. locations, directly comparable to Best Friends in service offering, customer segment, and multi-unit operating model.
• Dogtopia: Dogtopia operates a franchise network of dog daycare, boarding, and spa facilities across the U.S. and Canada, with a comparable service mix and similar target customer of urban/suburban dog owners seeking supervised daytime care.
• PetSuites of America: PetSuites operates a growing network of pet resort locations offering boarding, daycare, grooming, and training — overlapping directly with Best Friends' core service portfolio and customer base of pet owners.
• Barkefellers: Barkefellers is a regional pet care operator offering boarding, daycare, grooming, and training services in multiple U.S. markets, with a comparable multi-service offering and similar target customer segment.
• Paradise 4 Paws: Paradise 4 Paws operates upscale pet resort and daycare facilities, notably co-located inside major airports (ORD, DFW), serving travelers — a similar premium positioning and travel-adjacent customer segment to Best Friends' Disney location.
• K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel: K9 Resorts operates upscale dog boarding, daycare, and spa facilities with a franchise model, competing in the same premium tier of pet care services that Best Friends targets with its luxury suites and Club accommodations.

Emerging players

• Wag!: Wag! is a digital platform offering on-demand dog walking, pet sitting, and boarding services. While not facility-based, it competes for the same daycare and boarding occasions with greater convenience and lower price points.
• Rover: Rover is an online marketplace connecting pet owners with in-home pet sitters and dog walkers, competing for the same discretionary pet care wallet with an asset-light model that contrasts with Best Friends' facility-based approach.

Broad incumbents

• Petco (Vital Care, Pet Hotel): Petco is a large pet retail and services company offering boarding, grooming, and training through its stores. Its service offerings overlap with Best Friends but are a smaller part of a much broader retail and vet services portfolio.
• PetSmart PetsHotel: PetSmart operates PetsHotel boarding and Doggie Day Camp inside its retail stores, leveraging a national footprint of 1,400+ locations. While broader in retail focus, PetsHotel competes directly with Best Friends in boarding and daycare services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bestfriendspetcareinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/best-friends-pet-care
• Instagraminstagram.com/bestfriendspetcare
• Xx.com/bestfriendspc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Best Friends Pet Care