Start a Hounds Town USA Franchise in 2026

2026 Franchise 500 Rank: #141 Ranked #173 last year

Initial investment: $476K - $1.3M

Units as of 2025: 91 184.4% over 3 years

Michael Gould came from a career of working with dogs to founding his own company that seeks to make the happiest dogs on earth a reality. Gould worked in the police canine management unit for multiple years before starting his pet care facility.

For more than 20 years, Hounds Town USA has been a modern-day pet spa providing daycare services, grooming, and boarding for pets. A franchise location also may include pet taxi services if pet owners are held up and cannot ferry their furry friends to and from appointments. With over two million pets hosted, Hounds Town USA may be a strong industry competitor.

Why You May Want To Start a Hounds Town USA Franchise

Franchisees with Hounds Town USA strives to give dogs and cats the time of their lives by playing with them and providing activities to keep them busy, all while making them super happy. Additionally, providing services that a community needs will leave behind a good mark. Potential franchisees may choose to be a hands-on or absentee franchisee.

To join the network of more than 10 franchise locations, a franchisee is responsible for being a pet lover who looks forward to unique days every day. On top of this, a franchisee should have a personable nature, possess an entrepreneurial spirit, and be ready to learn. Prior sales and marketing experience is not necessary, but may be helpful.

What Might Make a Hounds Town USA Franchise a Good Choice?

Opening a Hounds Town USA franchise may have a more predictable outcome than investing in a completely new brand that could struggle to thrive in an already crowded and competitive industry.

To be part of the Hounds Town USA team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

How To Open a Hounds Town USA Franchise

As you decide if opening a Hounds Town USA franchise is the right move for you, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a Hounds Town USA franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the Hounds Town USA franchising team questions.

Should you become eligible to be a franchisee, you will receive training and support from location set-up to ongoing support as you run your franchise. You will have access to personalized coaching, advice, support for your finances, and much more.

Company Overview

About Hounds Town USA

Industry	Pets
Related Categories	Pet Care: Daycare/Boarding
Founded	2001
Parent Company	Hounds Town USA
Leadership	Rob Flanagan, CEO
Corporate Address	12 Garrity Ave. Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
Social	Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2008 (18 years)
# of employees at HQ	24
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming
# of Units	91 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Hounds Town USA franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$49,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$475,875 - $1,278,489
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$500,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$250,000
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	2%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Hounds Town USA has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	123 hours
Classroom Training	50 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	5
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes