Hounds Town USA’s Process-Driven Core Draws Veterans to the Franchise Opportunity

Before founding interactive doggy daycare franchise Hounds Town USA, Mike Gould helped found the NYPD canine unit and went on to spend time in the Navy with the Military Working Dog Program, where he refined his knowledge of dog behavior. That particular fascination led him to pursue further work with dogs as he approached the end of his military and law enforcement career.

“I rented a factory building on Long Island with the initial premise of boarding law enforcement personnel’s dogs while they went on vacation,” Gould said. “Dogs are naturally pack animals and the trend for years was for them to be kept in isolation, so we created this interactive environment that kept dogs happy and their owners coming back,” Gould said.

Gould built the business with an emphasis on process and structure gained from his military experience. As a result, the brand’s strong operations and canine expertise has helped Hounds Town USA care for over a million canine visitors in its short history. The Hounds Town business model rewards accountability and discipline, making the franchise opportunity a great fit for veterans pursuing business ownership.

“The military’s philosophy on structure helped shape our business model and training procedures,” Gould said, explaining that the way veterans are trained to respond to processes lends itself to success in franchise systems. “Our core business is understanding a dog’s temperament to then acclimating them to a group, encouraging interaction while making sure they are safe and secure. This is possible through attention to detail and following instruction. Franchisees who can buy into that and embrace that are in a great position to succeed,” he said.

From canine first aid to dog management procedures, Hounds Town’s immersive training is extremely comprehensive, something Gould noted veterans are uniquely familiar with and equipped to handle. Anthony Mitchell, a Hounds Town franchisee in Bergen County, New Jersey and former Marine, described his experience at Discovery Day as extremely informative and hands-on. “In the military, you do a lot of training that is supposed to be practical,” he said. “Mike’s explanation of the philosophy, its real-life application and why it makes sense leads to greater ease and simplicity of operations. That emphasis on behavior and structure goes back to the practical application aspect of military training,” Mitchell said.

Though Mitchell came to Hounds Town with plenty of small business experience, he said he’s been able to draw on numerous skills gained during his time in the Marine Corps as a franchisee. “Everything is on a tight schedule, you have to be able to act and react quickly and make split-second decisions decisively,” he said. “You develop leadership skills as you rise in rank and are in charge of delegating and managing others. Time management, the ability to think independently and self-sufficiency are all transferrable,” he added.

“I think that discipline and work ethic leads a lot of veterans to entrepreneurial endeavors because most are willing to do a lot to succeed,” Mitchell said. “Overall, being in the military and having that sense of structure helps to grow a business. The benefit of a franchise is that structure is already in place and you can rely on your background to jump right in,” he said.

So far, Mitchell’s favorite part of being a Hounds Town franchisee is how flexible and open to ideas the leadership team has been. He and his partner Steve Garibell were able to be creative in the build out of their location, designing it as a town center complete with a police station, recruiting center and aptly named Veterans Park. “As a growing franchise, Hounds Town has given us the opportunity for input that other franchises don’t. Their responsiveness is incredible,” Mitchell said.

Hounds Town USA also recently signed a franchise agreement another military veteran, Dave Robbins, a former Marine, to open four Hounds Town USA locations to the Atlanta area over the next 10 years. 

“It has been so easy for me to interact and collaborate with Anthony and Dave because of the connection our shared experience has created,” Gould said. “The fortitude military experience breeds connects directly to our brand’s mission, so we are always eager to embrace veterans like him and move their careers forward with Hounds Town.”