Continued Investment in Technology and System Strength Keep Dogtopia No. 1 in Pet Care Franchising

For another year, Dogtopia ranks No. 1 in the pet care category on Entrepreneur‘s Franchise 500 list. The innovative brand continues to lead the category by building strong platforms and playbooks designed to simplify operations while investing heavily in technology systems across the network.

Dogtopia landed at #65 on this year’s list, up 9 spots from last year. With 275 franchises in the U.S. and 8 in Canada, the company has seen a net growth of almost 80 units over the last three years. That’s certainly something to bark at.

Since new ownership and management took over in late 2015, Dogtopia has grown into one of the world’s largest pet services franchises. The brand centers its model on what it says is the only consistent high-frequency service in the industry: dog daycare. With an emphasis on canine wellness, Dogtopia also implemented recurring membership plans, positioning the brand and its franchisees as proactive partners in delivering long, healthy, happy lives for dogs.

And as one of the only franchise brands that offers real-time webcam access to its playrooms, Dogtopia has been at the forefront of offering full transparency to its pet parents. Parents can check in on their dogs throughout the day, spending an average of 130 minutes a day watching their dogs at play.

In 2025, Dogtopia completed the rollout of its proprietary technology stack after several years of investment and development. By consolidating operations into a single unified POS platform, this technology allows franchisees to simplify daily operations while leveraging real-time insights and automation for customer relationship management.

Their focus on daycare relies heavily on physical health and Dogtopia says it was the first brand to introduce a proprietary activity monitor designed for the daycare environment, called DASH. The device allows pet parents to see how much activity their dog completes during the day inside the Dogtopia app, including steps, minutes, and miles of exercise. DASH was rigorously tested for thousands of hours inside active playrooms and approved for use in a social setting, making wellness trackable rather than assumed. Most dogs in daycare average eight miles of activity. This adds up to more than 70,000 steps a day.

Scaling and day-to-day execution

Continuing to drive improved unit economics and ROI to support long-term franchisee growth, Dogtopia expanded Design 3.0, its most efficient store design yet. Facilities use hospital-grade ventilation systems, proprietary pet-safe cleaning products and protocols, as well as rubberized flooring designed to support dog’s joint health. The company says this updated format reduced buildout costs while increasing dog capacity while the in-store experience remains consistent across locations.

In addition, to ensure high standards are being met, the brand conducts Top Dog Certification across all locations and provides its franchisees with more than 600 hours of training modules on its Learning Management System.

The brand also reported an impressive average national Net Promoter Score in 2025 of 90, which is considered “world class.” Franchisees benefit from seasoned leadership, mature systems, strong operating playbooks and field support.

The brand’s purpose beyond profits is also driving the Dogtopia Foundation. The foundation has helped sponsor nearly 800 service dogs for veterans. The initiative reflects Dogtopia’s long-standing commitment to enable dogs to positively change our world.

Dogtopia says it is on track to reach 500 locations by 2030, maintaining its position at the top of pet care franchising and remaining one of the fastest-growing opportunities in the pet industry for franchise investors.

Click here to learn more about Dogtopia and about how to become a franchisee.