What PUPS does

PUPS Pet Club, LLC is a Chicago-based, privately held pet-care operator founded in 2014 that runs seven physical club locations across the city (Gold Coast, Lakeshore East, Lakeview, River North, South Loop, Streeterville, and Wicker Park). The company delivers an integrated set of dog-care services — daycare, overnight boarding, grooming, and training — under a single neighborhood-club format aimed at urban pet owners with busy schedules who need structured, supervised care for their dogs. A specialized Puppy Playcare sub-program serves dogs aged 8-20 weeks, and the Wicker Park club also offers cat grooming by appointment, signaling selective expansion beyond the core canine offering.

The operating model is direct-to-consumer, with all sales flowing through company-owned retail clubs. Pricing is unit-based across services: daycare is sold as half-day passes ($36), single-day passes ($49), or expiring multi-day bundles (10/20/30-packs at $460/$880/$1,260); overnight boarding is $90/night (PUPS Sleepovers or private suites); grooming is tiered $45-$180 by dog size and service depth; and training runs from $50 in-club sessions to $175 single in-home sessions and multi-session packages up to $995. Add-ons (Frozen Kong treats, walk breaks, blueberry facials, shedless treatments, transportation at $12/$20) create meaningful upsell density per visit. Door-to-door transportation is a deliberate convenience layer, and the Gingr for Pet Parents mobile app, powered by third-party platform Gingr, is the primary digital touchpoint for booking, webcams, and report cards. The website is built on Shopify, and the location finder uses Mapbox/OpenStreetMap — i.e., there is no proprietary technology stack, and the company's differentiation is operational and brand-driven rather than technological.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed. With 51-100 employees, seven locations, a service mix that supports roughly $1M-$2M per mature site, and a 2022 funding round of only $37,600, the company appears to be growing organically on internally generated cash. The most recent strategic moves — opening the seventh club in 2025, introducing cat grooming and in-home pet sitting, and launching transportation — point to measured multi-unit and product-line expansion within the Chicago metro rather than a national or technology-platform pivot. The company has been certified as a Great Place to Work and is led by an area manager and an operations leader with 16+ years in pet care, with named club-level general managers at each site.

Name

PUPS

Legal name

PUPS Pet Club, LLC

Website

https://pupspetclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PUPS Pet Club is a Chicago-based, privately held dog daycare, boarding, grooming, and training operator running seven neighborhood clubs across the Chicago metro, serving urban pet owners with integrated, all-in-one pet-care services booked through the Gingr mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Care Services

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Dog Daycare with Boarding Add-On (Daycare + Overnight) (HSANAFAM), Small-Group / Structured Dog Daycare (HSANAFAD), Overnight Kennel Boarding (Dogs) (HSANADAA), Training-Integrated Dog Daycare (Day Training) (HSANAFAE)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

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. Daycare Services: Daily and package-based daycare services for dogs. Pricing includes half-day ($36), single day ($49), and multi-day packages (10-pack at $460, 20-pack at $880, 30-pack at $1,260). Packages expire 10 weeks from purchase.
2. Overnight Boarding: Overnight boarding services at $90 per night, with options for social sleepovers and traditional boarding with private suites. Second pup rate at $70 per night.
3. Grooming Services: Full-service grooming including Freshen Up, Bubble Bath, and Full Groom & Haircut packages. Pricing varies by dog size, ranging from $45-$180 depending on service type and dog weight.
4. Training Services: Training programs including Puppy Training, Obedience, and Behavior Modification. In-club sessions start at $50, single sessions at $175, with multi-session packages available.
5. Transportation Services: Door-to-door pickup and drop-off transportation for daycare dogs within designated service areas. $12 one-way, $20 round-trip.
6. Spa Enhancements and Add-ons: Additional services including Blueberry Facial ($15), Premium Wash & Conditioner, Express Groom ($33 Pick 3), Shedless Treatments ($35-$75), Nail Trim & Buff ($25), and Frozen Kong add-ons ($12-$30).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PUPS Pet Club provides dog daycare, overnight boarding, full-service grooming, and dog training services across seven physical club locations in the Chicago metropolitan area. Customers purchase per-session, multi-pack, or nightly services either by visiting a club or booking through the Gingr digital platform, with optional add-ons including transportation, grooming enhancements, and webcam monitoring. The company targets urban pet owners seeking a single, community-oriented provider for daytime care, overnight stays, grooming, and structured training.

Product overview

PUPS Pet Club is a Chicago-based dog daycare, boarding, grooming, and training service operating seven club locations. The core offering consists of four main service pillars — Daycare, Grooming, Overnight Boarding, and Training — which are unified under the PUPS brand and accessible through the Gingr customer portal and a mobile app. Puppy Playcare serves as a specialized sub-program for puppies aged 8–20 weeks. Add-on services include pet sitting, webcam monitoring, and grooming enhancements (e.g., de-shedding, blueberry facials, express groom), all of which are offered à la carte on top of the core daycare and boarding products. The company does not operate a software platform but provides its services exclusively through physical club locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Daycare All-day supervised dog daycare delivered in safe, structured environments where dogs are grouped by size, temperament, and play style. Each visit balances social play, enrichment activities, and rest, with live webcams and daily digital report cards provided to pet parents. Pricing includes half-day at $36, single day at $49, and multi-pack bundles (10-pack $460, 20-pack $880, 30-pack $1,260) that expire 10 weeks from purchase.
• Overnight Boarding Overnight dog boarding offered in two formats: PUPS Sleepovers (open/social boarding with overnight staff on-site 24/7) and Traditional Boarding (private suites for independent sleepers). Both formats include all-day daytime daycare. Nightly rate is $90 per dog with a second-pup rate of $70 per night, and a free night is offered on a first stay booked with a 3+ night reservation. Dog-safe pheromone diffusers and white noise machines are used to create calming environments.
• Grooming Full-service dog grooming including baths, haircuts, nail care, ear cleaning, and teeth brushing, with services tailored to breed, coat type, and individual dog needs. Packages include Freshen Up, Bubble Bath, and Full Groom & Haircut, with pricing scaled by dog size (0-25 lbs through 101+ lbs). Prices range from $45 for a Freshen Up on small short-coat dogs up to $180 for a Full Groom & Haircut on extra-large dogs. The Wicker Park location additionally offers cat grooming by appointment only.
• Training Structured dog training delivered in two formats: In-Club Training (30-minute one-on-one sessions built into a daycare day; 5-session $250 or 10-session $450 packages) and Personalized In-Home Training (60-minute sessions in the client's home; 3-session packages from $335 and 7-session packages from $745). Programs cover Puppy Training, Obedience, and Behavior Modification and are delivered by credentialed trainers including CBCC-KA-certified staff.
• Puppy Playcare

Quantifiable outcome

• Dogs receive daily report cards detailing activities and behavior
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GingrcoreTechnology or IntegrationGingr provides the booking and account management platform for PUPS Pet Club. Customers use the Gingr for Pet Parents app to book services, manage profiles, upload vaccination records, view webcam feeds, and receive report cards.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dogtopia: Largest dog daycare franchise in North America offering daycare, boarding, grooming, and training across hundreds of locations. Most directly comparable to PUPS in service mix, multi-unit urban footprint, and premium positioning.
• Camp Bow Wow: National dog daycare, boarding, and grooming franchise with hundreds of locations. Directly competes with PUPS on the bundled daycare/boarding/grooming offering and franchise-based multi-location expansion model.
• The Dog Stop: Franchise-based dog daycare, boarding, grooming, and training chain operating in multiple US cities. Comparable to PUPS in bundled service offering and urban/suburban multi-unit model.
• Central Bark: Dog daycare, boarding, grooming, and training franchise with locations across the US. Comparable multi-service pet care model with structured enrichment programs similar to PUPS.
• K9 Resorts: Luxury dog daycare, boarding, and spa franchise. Closely comparable to PUPS in premium positioning, multi-service offering, and structured playgroup approach.
• PetSuites of America: Multi-location pet resort chain offering daycare, boarding, grooming, and training. Operated as a national chain comparable in scale ambition to PUPS's bundled service model.
• Bark Avenue Daycamp: Multi-location urban dog daycare, boarding, and grooming operation. Comparable in city-focused multi-club model and bundled service offering to PUPS.

Broad incumbents

• PetSmart (PetsHotel & Doggie Day Camp): National pet retail giant offering PetsHotel boarding and Doggie Day Camp inside stores. Overlaps with PUPS on daycare/boarding/grooming but operates as a broad incumbent rather than a dedicated pet-care specialist.
• Petco (Pet Care Services): National pet retailer with growing pet care services including grooming, training, and in-store pet care centers. Broad incumbent comparable through its expanding pet services portfolio, though not a dedicated daycare chain.

Emerging players

• Rover: Online marketplace for pet sitting, dog walking, and boarding services connecting pet owners with independent caregivers. Adjacent competitor that addresses overlapping urban pet care demand with a different asset-light model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pupspetclub
• Xx.com/pupspetclub
• Facebookfacebook.com/pupspetclub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pups

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 PUPS