DogHuggy

What DogHuggy does

DogHuggy (ドッグハギー), founded February 9, 2015, by Shogo Nagatsuka (CEO) and Yohei Someya (CTO), operates a two-sided peer-to-peer marketplace that connects dog owners seeking temporary pet care with verified individual "Dog Hosts" who provide in-home overnight stays, short-stay boarding, and dog walking services across all 47 Japanese prefectures. The platform, headquartered in Nakano, Tokyo, features host discovery by city/ward, mandatory pre-stay interviews between owners and hosts, real-time messaging, daily photo reports, government-issued ID verification for both parties, liability insurance and an optional mutual-aid scheme, and credit-card payment settlement. The product is operated as a free-to-register marketplace with per-booking transaction fees retained by the platform as its sole disclosed revenue stream; per-night pricing is set individually by hosts and is not publicly disclosed.

The company's distribution relies on earned media (NHK Asaichi, TBS Asachan, Nikkei Trendy, Weekly Economist), a content platform (DogHuggy Magazine), a crowdsourced dog-friendly spot directory (InuChizu/いぬちず), and partnership channels including ANA Holdings (Sept 2018), Credit Saison (Aug 2019), and Relo Club's corporate welfare program (Jul 2019). DogHuggy obtained Sharing Economy Certification in August 2020. Funding history includes rounds led or participated in by CyberAgent Capital (2015, 2016), GX Incubate (2016), VOYAGE VENTURES (2018), and Colopl Next (2019); specific amounts are not disclosed. On December 17, 2025, DogHuggy Inc. was acquired by Petgo Group (ペットゴーグループ), a company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market, and in April 2026 the platform launched Petgo account integration, repositioning DogHuggy as part of a publicly listed pet-care platform portfolio.

Name

DogHuggy

Legal name

株式会社DogHuggy

Website

https://doghuggy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DogHuggy is a Japanese two-sided marketplace, founded in 2015 and now part of TSE Growth-listed Petgo Group, that connects dog owners with verified individual hosts for in-home overnight, short-stay, and dog-walking services across all 47 Japanese prefectures.

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

Overnight In-Home Pet Sitting (Client’s Home) (HSANAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live-In In-Home Pet Sitting (24/7 Presence) (HSANAEAC), Dog Walking Add-On (Scheduled Walks During Sits) (HSANAEAD), Drop-In Visits (Feeding, Water, Litter, Potty Breaks) (HSANAEAA)

Keywords

• Pet care marketplace
• Dog boarding platform
• Pet hosting services
• Dog walking services
• Sharing economy

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Booking Transaction Fees: DogHuggy earns a commission/take-rate on each booking completed through the platform. Dog owners pay for the hosting service via credit card through the platform, and DogHuggy retains a portion of each transaction as its primary revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DogHuggy operates a peer-to-peer marketplace platform that matches dog owners seeking temporary pet care with verified individual 'Dog Hosts' who provide in-home overnight stays, short-stay boarding, and dog walking services in their private residences across Japan. The platform handles host discovery, pre-stay interviews, booking management, daily photo reporting, and credit card payment settlement. Membership is free for both dog owners and hosts; DogHuggy earns revenue by retaining a transaction fee (take-rate) on each completed booking settled through the platform.

Product overview

DogHuggy operates a peer-to-peer dog hosting marketplace (DogHuggy) as its core platform, connecting pet owners with community dog hosts for overnight, short-stay, and walking services. The platform is supplemented by DogHuggy Magazine, an editorial content site covering dog breeds, training, health, and lifestyle topics, and いぬちず (InuChizu), a crowdsourced dog-friendly spot directory service covering restaurants, dog runs, and leisure venues across Japan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DogHuggy Magazine: 犬との素敵なライフスタイルをかなえるメディア (A media platform for dog-friendly lifestyle content).
• いぬちず

Products and services

• DogHuggy (ドッグハギー) Dog Hosting Marketplace
• DogHuggy Magazine (ドッグハギーマガジン)
• InuChizu (いぬちず) Dog-Friendly Spot Directory

Quantifiable outcome

• Dogs experience cage-free, stress-reduced care in private home environments with 24-hour companionship
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pets Go Group (ペットugoグループ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025株式会社DogHuggy (DogHuggy Inc.) was acquired by and became part of the ペットugo Group (Pets Go Group), which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (東証グロース上場). This acquisition brings DogHuggy under a publicly listed parent company, providing strategic resources and scale for growth. Announced December 17, 2025.
• Credit Saison Co., Ltd.minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 August 2019DogHuggy became a member merchant in Credit Saison's discount/privilege merchant program (優待店), enabling Credit Saison cardholders to receive special offers or discounts when using DogHuggy services. Announced August 2019.
• Relo Club (株式会社リロクラブ) — 福利厚生俱楽部minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 July 2019DogHuggy was registered as a qualifying service under Relo Club's employee benefit program (福利厚生俱楽部), enabling corporate employees who are members to use DogHuggy pet hosting services as part of their employee benefit package. Announced July 2019.
• ANA Holdings CorporationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 September 2018DogHuggy entered a service partnership with ANA Holdings (ANA Airlines) to offer pet hosting services to air travelers, allowing travelers to find home-based pet care through DogHuggy when they need to travel. Announced September 2018, integrated into ANA's domestic tourism recommendation pages.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Pasora: Japan-based pet sitting/hosting platform with a comparable in-home model and similar messaging and verification features. Closest domestic marketplace competitor to DogHuggy in the same geography.

Direct peers

• Rover: Global two-sided marketplace for in-home pet sitting, boarding, and dog walking—the closest direct functional analog to DogHuggy. Rover scaled internationally and exited via a SPAC, validating the marketplace model DogHuggy operates at the national level in Japan.
• Wag!: US-focused pet care marketplace offering dog walking, boarding, and sitting with verified providers. Comparable in product mix (walk + board + sit) and trust-and-safety infrastructure (background checks, insurance).
• TrustedHousesitters: Subscription-based pet-sitting marketplace connecting homeowners/pet owners with verified sitters offering in-home care. Operates a similar trust-driven, interview-based matching model and serves as a benchmark for the cage-free positioning.
• PetBacker: Asia-Pacific pet care marketplace operating across Southeast Asia with boarding, sitting, walking, and grooming. Most relevant regional peer given geographic proximity and similar developing-market dynamics.
• Pawshake: Marketplace for pet sitting and dog walking operating primarily in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Comparable in two-sided structure, host verification, and insurance-backed bookings.

Broad incumbents

• Anicom Specialty Insurance: Japan's leading pet insurance company and broader pet care conglomerate, now vertically expanding into pet services and retail. Comparable as a large incumbent targeting the same Japanese pet-owning household base with a wider portfolio.
• Aeon Pet: Major Japanese pet retail and pet services chain operated by the Aeon Group, offering grooming, daycare, and pet hotels across physical locations. Represents the institutional incumbent competing with DogHuggy's home-based model.
• Pet Hotel / Kennel Chains (e.g., Wanote, PetPlus): Traditional Japanese pet hotel and kennel chains providing overnight boarding in institutional facilities. Represent the legacy alternative DogHuggy positions against with its cage-free, in-home model.

Others

• Petgo: Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market-listed pet media and commerce platform that acquired DogHuggy in December 2025. Relevant as DogHuggy's parent company and the closest ecosystem enabler for cross-platform user leverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DogHuggy
• Facebookfacebook.com/doghuggy
• Instagraminstagram.com/doghuggy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/doghuggy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 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 DogHuggy