Private Pet Boarding

What Private Pet Boarding does

ESP Pet Specialists LLC is a privately held, founder-operated pet care services company headquartered in Livingston, New Jersey, serving pet owners across approximately 16 communities in Essex County and 3 communities in Morris County in Northern New Jersey. The company was founded by Evan Perlman, who has worked with animals since college, including roles handling pet services programs for United Airlines at Newark Liberty and O'Hare airports before starting ESP Pet Specialists. The business operates on a relationship-based, direct-to-consumer model targeting working pet owners, traveling pet owners, and households with dogs requiring special needs.

The company offers three core, human-delivered services: Dog Walking (sold in tiered Silver/10-walk, Gold/20-walk, and Platinum/30-walk packages with volume discounts, including ~30-minute visits for bathroom breaks, exercise, feedings, brushing, and medication), Pet Sitting (in-home half/full/multi-hour drop-in visits covering dogs, cats, small animals, and exotics, plus household tasks), and Private Pet Boarding (home-based, cage-free overnight stays with one-on-one attention, dietary accommodation, and 24/7 care). All bookings are supported by an online scheduling and payment management portal with PCI-compliant processing, daily photo journals, email confirmations, and backup specialist coverage. No proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capabilities are evidenced; operational technology is limited to standard scheduling and payment tooling.

Revenue is generated through packaged, subscription-style recurring service agreements with individual pet owners, billed in advance for multi-visit packages and requiring 50% upfront payment from new clients. The customer base consists entirely of SMB/individual consumers acquired through the company website, social media, customer referrals, and listings on Angie's List, Yelp, and Bark.com. All staff are W-2 employees (not freelancers), are screened via GoodHire criminal background checks, and the company maintains bonding, general liability, and workers' compensation insurance. No funding rounds, institutional investors, M&A activity, or geographic expansion beyond the existing Northern New Jersey service area are documented in the source material.

Name

Private Pet Boarding

Legal name

ESP PET SPECIALISTS LLC

Website

https://esppetspecialists.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ESP Pet Specialists LLC is a Livingston, NJ-based, founder-operated pet care company providing dog walking, in-home pet sitting, and home-based cage-free boarding to individual pet owners across Essex and Morris counties in Northern New Jersey.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Care Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

akta.pro primary industry

Long-Term/Extended-Stay Boarding (HSANADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Pet care services
• Dog walking services
• Pet boarding
• In-home pet sitting
• Pet care specialist

Headquarters

HQ city

Livingston

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dog Walking Services: Package-based dog walking services sold in bulk (Silver: 10 walks, Gold: 20 walks, Platinum: 30 walks) with discounted rates for larger packages. Services include approximately 30-minute visits with bathroom breaks, exercise, feedings, snacks, fresh water, brushings, and medication administration.
2. Pet Sitting Services: In-home pet sitting services offered as half, full, and multi-hour visits. Packages tailored to individual client needs including feeding, exercising, medication administration, and household tasks like mail retrieval and plant watering.
3. Private Pet Boarding: Home-based cage-free boarding where pets stay with caring staff members. Includes around-the-clock care, personalized attention, regular exercise, bathroom breaks, medication administration, daily brushing, and regular meals with dietary restrictions maintained.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ESP Pet Specialists provides professional pet care services in Northern New Jersey, including dog walking (30-minute visits sold in Silver/10, Gold/20, and Platinum/30 walk packages), in-home pet sitting (half, full, and multi-hour drop-in visits covering dogs, cats, small animals, and exotics), and home-based cage-free boarding where pets stay with staff members for around-the-clock care. All services begin with a complimentary Meet & Greet, include online scheduling and payments, daily photo journals, and medication administration, and are delivered by W-2 employees rather than freelancers.

Product overview

ESP Pet Specialists is a pet care service provider offering three core services: Dog Walking Services (with Silver, Gold, and Platinum package tiers), Pet Sitting Services (half, full, and multi-hour drop-in visits), and Private Pet Boarding (home-based overnight stays). All services include a complimentary initial Meet & Greet, convenient online scheduling and payment management, photo journals with itemized checklists, daily email confirmations, backup coverage, and liability and workers' compensation insurance protection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dog Walking Services Professional dog walking service delivered to Northern New Jersey pet owners. Each visit lasts approximately 30 minutes and includes bathroom breaks, exercise, feedings, snacks/treats, fresh water, brushings, and medication administration. Sold as Silver (10 walks), Gold (20 walks), and Platinum (30 walks) package tiers with discounted bulk rates; multi-visit packages are billed in advance.
• Pet Sitting Services In-home drop-in pet sitting covering dogs, cats, small animals, and exotic pets. Includes feeding, exercising, medication administration, and household tasks such as mail retrieval, plant watering, and trash removal. Offered in half-hour, full-hour, and multi-hour visit options tailored to individual client needs.
• Private Pet Boarding Home-based, cage-free boarding in which pets stay in the private home of a trained ESP staff member. Includes around-the-clock care, personalized attention, regular exercise, frequent bathroom breaks, medication administration, daily brushing, and regular meals with dietary restrictions maintained. Each dog is typically the only guest unless one-on-one care is specifically arranged, providing a low-stress alternative to traditional kennel boarding.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Pet Sitters InternationalminorOthersProfessional membership organization for pet sitting professionals. ESP Pet Specialists holds membership demonstrating commitment to industry standards and professional practices.
• Pet Sitters AssociatesminorOthersMembership organization supporting pet sitting businesses with resources, insurance programs, and industry best practices.
• GoodHirecoreTechnology or IntegrationBackground check service used for all employee hiring. Conducts federal, state, and county level criminal background searches on potential pet care specialists before hiring. Essential trust and safety infrastructure.
• Bark.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline marketplace listing for pet services. Helps connect ESP Pet Specialists with potential customers searching for pet care providers in their area.
• Eleventh Hour RescueminorOthersLocal animal rescue organization that ESP Pet Specialists proudly supports through donations, volunteer efforts, or promotional support.
• Mount Pleasant Animal ShelterminorOthersLocal animal shelter supported by ESP Pet Specialists through community outreach and support programs.
• The Shelter Pet ProjectminorOthersNational shelter pet adoption awareness initiative supported by ESP Pet Specialists.
• United States War Dogs AssociationminorOthersOrganization supporting military working dogs that ESP Pet Specialists proudly supports.
• Walk for a Dog (WoofTrax)minorOthersDog walking app/platform that ESP Pet Specialists supports, allowing users to donate walk distances to local shelters.
• Warrior Dog FoundationminorOthersFoundation supporting retired or injured military and police dogs that ESP Pet Specialists proudly supports.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bark.com: Online marketplace where ESP is already listed as a channel partner. Connects pet owners to local walkers, sitters, and groomers; represents the platform-based competition that could siphon customers away from ESP.
• Wag!: On-demand dog walking and pet care platform operating nationally. Competes with ESP on dog walking services in Northern NJ using a gig-economy sitter model, the inverse of ESP's employed-specialist positioning.
• Rover: Largest online marketplace for dog walking, pet sitting, and boarding in North America. Directly overlaps with ESP's core services but uses a freelancer/independent-sitter model rather than ESP's W-2 employee model, serving the same end customers via a tech platform.
• Fetch! Pet Care: Franchised pet care service offering dog walking, pet sitting, and in-home boarding across multiple U.S. markets. Closest structural analog to ESP — multi-service, locally operated, professional staff — with a franchise replication model that ESP lacks.

Broad incumbents

• Dogtopia: National franchise of dog daycare, boarding, and spa services. Adjacent overlap with ESP's boarding offering via facility-based daycare model; competes for the same premium pet owner segment.
• PetSmart (PetsHotel): National pet retail incumbent operating PetsHotel boarding and in-store dog training/day camp. Competes on boarding and daycare with a facility-based rather than home-based model, serving the same Northern NJ pet owner demographic.
• Petco: National pet retail incumbent with boarding, grooming, and training services across its store footprint. Broad incumbent in pet care services rather than specializing in home-based care like ESP.
• Care.com: Broad marketplace for caregivers including pet care. While not pet-specialized, it competes for the same working pet owner customer in Northern NJ and offers discovery and booking at national scale.

Emerging players

• TrustedHousesitters: Membership-based platform connecting pet owners with house/pet sitters who stay in the owner's home. Overlaps with ESP's in-home pet sitting offering via a different (subscription marketplace) model.

Others

• Pet Sitters International: Professional membership organization for pet sitters of which ESP is already a member. Sets industry standards and certification, and represents the broader professional pet-sitting community ESP is positioned within.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVKFTfFeqej6yV4Du8miMBQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/esppets
• Instagraminstagram.com/esppets

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Private Pet Boarding