Yardstick
Yardstick is a privately held boutique dog hotel chain operating premium boarding, daycare, and bathing services in seven locations across Nashville and Dallas, serving affluent urban pet owners with 24/7 supervised, small-group environments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Yardstick does
Yardstick is a privately held, boutique pet hospitality company operating premium dog boarding and daycare facilities under the consumer brand "Yardstick Dog Hotel." The company is incorporated as Yardstick Opco, Inc. in the United States and was founded in 2022 by CEO Dave Atkins. Yardstick serves affluent dog owners in two metropolitan markets — Nashville, Tennessee (four locations: Berry Hill, Brentwood, East Nashville, West Nashville) and Dallas, Texas (two operating locations in Design District and Lakewood, with a third Preston Valley location scheduled to open November 2026).
The company's core offering consists of three products: Nighttime (suites-only overnight boarding with 24/7 on-site staff supervision and included small-group daycare), Daytime (structured small-group daycare with maximum ~12 dogs per playgroup, separated by size and temperament across three playrooms with built-in rest breaks), and Bathtime (add-on grooming services available only during boarding or daycare stays). Physical facilities feature proprietary noise-reduction suite design, canine-specific padded flooring, and 24/7 trained hosts certified in canine first-aid and CPR. The technology infrastructure is intentionally lightweight: a Webflow-hosted website, third-party Goose booking platform for online reservations (bookable up to six months in advance), and per-location email scheduling for daycare. The company has no public AI/ML capabilities, no patents, and no disclosed API or developer platform.
Yardstick's revenue model is direct-to-consumer pay-as-you-go, with inclusive boarding pricing that bundles 24 hours of care, daycare, feeding, medication administration, and environmental rotations without arbitrary check-in/check-out cutoffs. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers book tours, request quotes, or reserve online. Customer acquisition is driven by neighborhood-level local SEO, an active blog, Instagram presence, email capture, and earned media coverage in regional outlets. Yardstick has disclosed no external institutional funding and appears to be founder-financed through operating cash flow.
Yardstick firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Yardstick
- Legal name
- Yardstick Opco, Inc.
- Website
- https://yardstick.dog
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Yardstick is a privately held boutique dog hotel chain operating premium boarding, daycare, and bathing services in seven locations across Nashville and Dallas, serving affluent urban pet owners with 24/7 supervised, small-group environments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Yardstick industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pet Boarding and Daycare Services
- 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
- Small-Group / Structured Dog Daycare (HSANAFAD), Overnight Kennel Boarding (Dogs) (HSANADAA)
Keywords
Where Yardstick is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Yardstick business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Nighttime Boarding (Suites): Overnight dog boarding in private suites with 24 hours of care included per reservation. Includes small group daycare during daytime hours, feeding and medication administration per owner instructions, and rotations through playrooms, yards, sofa lounges, and suites. Bookable up to 6 months in advance.
- Daytime Dog Daycare: Small group daycare services (Monday-Friday, 6:30am-6:30pm) with high staff-to-dog ratios. Dogs are separated by size and temperament into small playgroups with built-in breaks. Flexible drop-off and pick-up times available. Requires reservation to maintain optimal playgroup balance.
- Bathtime Services: On-site bathing services available as add-ons during boarding or daycare stays. Services include bath and brush, dental chews, nail trim or grind, and ear cleaning. Not offered as standalone services - only available for Nighttime and Daytime guests during their stay.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Nighttime Boarding - Suite accommodation with 24 hours of care |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Daytime Daycare - Small group daycare with flexible hours |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bathtime Add-on Services - Bath, nail trim, ear cleaning, dental chews |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Yardstick product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Yardstick operates a boutique dog hotel offering overnight suite-only boarding (Nighttime), small-group daytime dog daycare (Daytime), and add-on bathing services (Bathtime) across multiple physical locations in Dallas and Nashville. Boarding includes 24/7 on-site supervision, included daycare during daytime hours, sound-mitigated suites, room service with treats, and feeding/medication administration per owner instructions. All services are sold direct-to-consumer via the company website, online booking, email, and on-site tours.
Product overview
Yardstick is a boutique dog hotel offering a unified suite of pet hospitality services centered around three core offerings: Nighttime (premium suites-only boarding with 24/7 supervision and included small group daycare), Daytime (structured small-group daycare with built-in breaks across multiple play environments), and Bathtime (add-on bathing services including bath/brush, nail care, and ear cleaning). The company operates multiple physical locations in Dallas (Design District, Lakewood, Preston Valley) and Nashville (Berry Hill, Brentwood, East Nashville, West Nashville), with inclusive pricing and no arbitrary check-in/check-out times.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Nighttime (Dog Boarding) Overnight suites-only dog boarding with private, sound-reduced suites, 24/7 on-site supervision by canine first-aid- and CPR-trained hosts, included small-group daycare during daytime hours, room service with branded treats and toys, and feeding/medication administration per owner instructions. Includes 24 hours of care per reservation with no arbitrary check-in/check-out cutoffs; bookable up to 6 months in advance online via Goose, with a waitlist available when fully booked.
- Daytime (Dog Daycare) Small-group dog daycare (Monday–Friday, 6:30am–6:30pm) with dogs separated by size and temperament across three purpose-built playrooms, built-in breaks throughout the day, multiple play environments (sofa lounges, indoor yards, padded play spaces) with high staff-to-dog ratios. Includes flexible drop-off and pick-up within operating hours; reservations required to maintain optimal playgroup balance.
- Bathtime On-site bathing add-on services available exclusively for dogs already boarding (Nighttime) or attending daycare (Daytime) at a Yardstick location. Services include bath and brush, dental chews, nail trim or grind, and ear cleaning. Can be added at the time of booking or anytime during an active stay.
Quantifiable outcome
- Small group daycare limited to approximately 12 dogs per playgroup
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Yardstick
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Yardstick technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Yardstick partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Goose Booking PlatformcoreThird-party booking platform used for online reservation management. Customers book boarding stays through booking.goose.pet links specific to each location. Provides instant confirmation and availability management.
- Local 24/7 Animal HospitalscorePartnerships with local animal hospitals that operate 24/7 for urgent medical emergencies. Staff trained in canine first-aid and CPR. For minor scenarios, veterinarians offering telemedicine are available. In emergency situations, Yardstick staff will transport dogs to the partnered animal hospital.
- Saint Urbain (Branding Agency)minorSaint Urbain worked with Yardstick to create the brand name, visual identity, and packaging system. The Dieline featured this partnership, highlighting the visual system that conveys the dog brand's upscaleness while highlighting homey characteristics through bold logo and playful geometric shapes.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Yardstick competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Rover: Largest U.S. pet-sitting and boarding marketplace. Indirect overlap with Yardstick's boarding offering but a fundamentally different (in-home/marketplace) model that competes for the same discretionary boarding dollar.
Direct peers
- Pooch Hotel: Premium/boutique dog hotel concept offering suites, daycare, and spa services. Closely matches Yardstick's upscale hotel-style positioning and suite-based boarding model.
- Best Friends Pet Hotel: Multi-location overnight boarding and daycare chain. Comparable on the full-service boarding/daycare/bathing bundle and on operating multiple physical pet-care facilities.
- Dogtopia: Largest U.S. franchise dog daycare operator with 200+ locations. Directly comparable on daycare, and increasingly competing on overnight boarding — the scale advantage is the key contrast with Yardstick's boutique approach.
- K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel: Franchised luxury pet resort offering premium daycare, boarding, and spa. Direct comparable on the high-end positioning and suite-style accommodations versus traditional kennels.
- The Dog Stop: Franchised dog daycare, boarding, and grooming chain. Comparable integrated service offering and similar size profile to Yardstick as it scales toward multi-location operations.
- Wag Hotels: Premium urban dog hotel and daycare operator. Comparable on boutique, design-forward facility model and inclusion of daycare with overnight stays.
- Camp Bow Wow: Franchised dog daycare and boarding operator with 200+ locations. Comparable on core boarding + daycare offering, with a similar all-day camp model; serves as Yardstick's primary national-scale franchise comparable.
Others
- Dog Wash / boutique grooming chains: Adjacent grooming/bathing service providers (e.g., Doggie Styles, self-service Dog Wash bars). Comparable on the bath-and-groom add-on revenue stream that Yardstick attaches to boarding and daycare stays.
Broad incumbents
- PetSmart PetsHotel: In-store pet hotel and daycare offered by the largest U.S. specialty pet retailer. Competes on convenience and scale at lower price points; the dominant incumbent Yardstack benchmarks against for boarding capacity.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Yardstick social profiles
Digital presenceYardstick financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Yardstick leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Yardstick funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Yardstick M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Yardstick
What does Yardstick do?
Yardstick operates a boutique dog hotel offering overnight suite-only boarding (Nighttime), small-group daytime dog daycare (Daytime), and add-on bathing services (Bathtime) across multiple physical locations in Dallas and Nashville. Boarding includes 24/7 on-site supervision, included daycare during daytime hours, sound-mitigated suites, room service with treats, and feeding/medication administration per owner instructions. All services are sold direct-to-consumer via the company website, online booking, email, and on-site tours.
Is Yardstick a public or private company?
Yardstick is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Yardstick founded?
Yardstick was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Yardstick based?
Yardstick is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Yardstick make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Nighttime Boarding (Suites) is the primary driver. The others are daytime Dog Daycare and bathtime Services.
Who are Yardstick's main competitors?
Rover is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Pooch Hotel, Best Friends Pet Hotel, Dogtopia, K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel, The Dog Stop, Wag Hotels and Camp Bow Wow. Dog Wash / boutique grooming chains is listed as an others. PetSmart PetsHotel is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Yardstick have an API?
No public API is recorded for Yardstick.
What industry is Yardstick in?
Yardstick's product category is Pet Boarding and Daycare Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSANAFAM, Dog Daycare with Boarding Add-On (Daycare + Overnight), with a secondary code of HSANAFAD, Small-Group / Structured Dog Daycare. Its NAICS code is 81291 and its SIC code is 7000.