House of Dogs

What House of Dogs does

House of Dogs is a privately held, family-operated pet sitting network founded in 2018 by Kevin Oliva in Springfield, New Jersey. The company connects dog owners across New Jersey with a network of in-home pet sitters and offers three core services: overnight boarding ($65-$95 per night), full-day daycare ($50-$65 per day), and half-day daycare ($42 per half-day), with a 10% multi-dog discount up to 20%. Each house caps capacity at under eight dogs to preserve personalized care, and a meet-and-greet via Calendly is required before first booking.

The platform is built on third-party infrastructure rather than proprietary technology: Gingr (facility code 139478) powers the client portal for booking, payments, and pet profiles; Checkr.com runs background checks on every sitter; and Fear Free certification plus Pet First Aid/CPR training are mandatory sitter credentials. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the houseofdogs.co website, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, with a "Become a Sitter" recruitment page supporting the late-2023 pivot from a single-house operation to a multi-sitter network.

The business model is straightforward transactional services: per-night and per-day fees collected at the end of each stay, with no disclosed subscription, no external funding, and no enterprise contracts. The customer base is a long tail of individual pet owners in affluent North Jersey towns (Springfield, Summit, Short Hills, Maplewood, Montclair, West Orange, Cranford, Union, Kearny). The company carries over a regional reputation from three consecutive years as the #1 Rover.com sitter in Union County, 5,000+ reviews, and 200+ completed meet-and-greets, but remains a tiny, locally anchored operator with no disclosed financials and a headcount of 1-10.

Name

House of Dogs

Legal name

House of Dogs LLC

Website

https://houseofdogs.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

House of Dogs is a family-owned New Jersey network connecting pet owners with Fear Free certified, background-checked in-home sitters for overnight boarding and daycare services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Care Services (Dog Boarding & Daycare)

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Dog Daycare with Boarding Add-On (Daycare + Overnight) (HSANAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Half-Day & Hourly Dog Daycare (HSANAFAB), Small-Group / Structured Dog Daycare (HSANAFAD)

Keywords

• Dog boarding services
• Pet sitting network
• Home-based dog daycare
• Pet care services
• Certified pet sitters

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Overnight Boarding: Pet owners pay per-night boarding fees for their dogs to stay at sitter's home. Rates vary by sitter ($65-$95/night). Includes overnight accommodation, supervision, meals, and playtime.
2. Doggy Daycare (Full Day): Full-day daycare services where dogs spend the day at sitter's home. Rates vary by sitter ($50-$65/day). Includes supervision, playtime, and daily enrichment.
3. Half Day Daycare: Partial day care services for shorter periods. Standard rate of $42/half-day across sitters.
4. Multi-Dog Discount: 10% discount off total price for each additional dog boarded, up to 20% maximum discount.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

House of Dogs runs a curated New Jersey network of certified, background-checked home-based pet sitters offering three core services: Overnight Boarding ($65–$95/night), Doggy Daycare Full Day ($50–$65/day), and Half Day Daycare ($42/half-day). Pet parents browse sitter profiles, complete a mandatory meet-and-greet, then book and pay through the Gingr for Pet Parents mobile app, with each host home capped at under 8 dogs for personalized, Fear Free-certified care.

Product overview

House of Dogs operates as a network of certified pet sitters offering home-based pet care services across New Jersey. The core offering consists of three service tiers: Overnight Boarding (overnight stays with certified sitters), Doggy Daycare (full-day supervision and play), and Half Day Daycare (shorter partial-day care). All services emphasize Fear Free-certified, background-checked sitters who provide daily photo updates and enrichment activities. The company uses the Gingr for Pet Parents platform for booking and client management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Overnight Boarding Home-based overnight pet sitting where dogs stay with a certified, background-checked House of Dogs sitter; includes sleeping accommodations, daily photo updates, daily enrichment training, and access to a fenced yard. Available at $65–$95/night depending on sitter.
• Doggy Daycare (Full Day) Full-day supervised daycare where dogs spend the day at a sitter's home with play, socialization with other dogs, routine potty breaks, and structured activities. Priced at $50–$65/day.
• Half Day Daycare Partial-day care for shorter durations, allowing dogs to enjoy supervised play and companionship for reduced hours compared to full-day daycare. Standardized flat rate of $42/half-day.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ positive reviews and testimonials
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GingrcoreTechnology or IntegrationGingr provides the client portal and booking platform for pet parents. Available as iOS mobile app and web portal (houseofdogs.portal.gingrapp.com). Facility Code: 139478. Handles bookings, payments (credit/debit/ACH), and pet profile management.
• Checkr.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationBackground verification provider used to rigorously background check all pet sitters. Ensures customer peace of mind and safety.
• Fear Free PetscoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides Fear Free certification program for pet sitters - the gold standard in pet care education. All House of Dogs sitters are Fear Free Certified to minimize stress and anxiety in pets.
• CalendlycoreTechnology or IntegrationScheduling platform used for booking meet and greets between pet parents and sitters. Integrates with website for seamless appointment booking.
• Rover.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPet sitting marketplace where House of Dogs was ranked #1 sitter in Union County for 3 consecutive years. Transitioned from Rover to independent brand in 2021.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Wag!: Wag! is an on-demand pet care marketplace offering dog walking, boarding, and sitting services. It competes directly with House of Dogs in the in-home pet care category and represents one of the venture-backed marketplace alternatives that House of Dogs differentiates against through its certification stack.
• Rover: Rover is the largest online marketplace connecting pet owners with pet sitters for boarding, daycare, walking, and house sitting. Directly comparable to House of Dogs because both operate a marketplace/network model for in-home pet care, and House of Dogs' founder built his initial reputation as the #1 Rover sitter in Union County before launching the independent brand.
• Pet Suites: Pet Suites is a pet resort and daycare chain offering boarding, daycare, grooming, and training across multiple U.S. locations. Comparable to House of Dogs in core service offerings (boarding and daycare) and premium pet care positioning.
• Camp Bow Wow: Camp Bow Wow is a national dog daycare and boarding franchise with supervised playgroups, overnight camping, and enrichment programs. Comparable to House of Dogs because it offers the same core services (daycare and overnight boarding) at a premium tier, though it operates facility-based rather than in-home.
• TrustedHousesitters: TrustedHousesitters is an online marketplace connecting homeowners with house and pet sitters for reciprocal arrangements. Comparable because it competes in the in-home pet sitting category, though its model relies on unpaid sitters rather than paid care providers.
• Dogtopia: Dogtopia is a dog daycare franchise focused on open-play socialization, overnight boarding, and spa services. Directly comparable to House of Dogs in product offering (daycare and boarding) and premium positioning, though delivered through dedicated facilities rather than in-home sitters.
• Fetch! Pet Care: Fetch! Pet Care is a franchise network providing in-home pet sitting, dog walking, and pet taxi services. Most comparable peer to House of Dogs because it operates the same in-home service model with a network of vetted pet care professionals serving local territories.

Emerging players

• PetBacker: PetBacker is an online pet care marketplace operating across Asia, Europe, and North America offering pet sitting, boarding, walking, and grooming services. Comparable to House of Dogs in marketplace and service model, though it is geographically broader and focuses on connecting individual sitters rather than a tightly certified network.

Regional players

• Bark Avenue Pet Resort: Bark Avenue Pet Resort operates premium dog daycare, boarding, and grooming facilities in select U.S. markets. Comparable to House of Dogs in service mix and premium positioning, though it operates dedicated facility locations rather than in-home care.

Broad incumbents

• PetSmart PetsHotel: PetSmart operates PetsHotel boarding and Doggie Day Camp services inside its retail stores. It competes in the same boarding and daycare categories as House of Dogs, but as part of a much larger pet retail portfolio rather than as a standalone pet care specialist.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HouseofDogsNJ
• Facebookfacebook.com/houseofdogsnj
• Instagraminstagram.com/houseofdogsnj

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 House of Dogs