Hounds Town USA Goes West: Brand Signs First Las Vegas Location and Targets Western Expansion

Just like Hounds Town USA, the brand’s newest franchisee Jamie Enders hails from the East Coast. He left college to work for his local Publix supermarket, where he spent much of his career, but moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2014 when his wife received a job offer there. 

Enders, who was semi-retired at the time of the move, picked up some shifts at a local casino as a dealer and dual rate supervisor. After five years, he grew tired of the unusual hours and the smoky atmosphere. “It wasn’t the route I had envisioned for my professional future,” said Enders. That’s when, while casually browsing a magazine on an airplane that mentioned franchising, he began to consider it as a career path and subsequently discovered Hounds Town USA. 

As dog-parents to two rescues themselves—a 10-year-old Corgi-Retriever mix and a 1-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix—working in dog daycare seemed like a natural fit for the Enderses. Enders soon discovered that Hounds Town USA isn’t just a rewarding opportunity for dog lovers, but also a great franchise opportunity for candidates who are interested in investing in a unique doggie daycare experience. “I didn’t want to work in food because of the hours, but a few different doggy daycare brands caught my eye,” said Enders. “I did research on several different options including Hounds Town USA, Camp Bow Wow and Dogtopia, but ultimately Hounds Town sold me on its operational model.”

Enders flew to New York to meet founders Mike Gould and Jackie Bondanza and was incredibly impressed with their competence and support. “The owner and operator guidance was outstanding. I really liked that the brand vision was uniform and consistent,” said Enders. 

As luck would have it, the rapidly growing Las Vegas market was nearly untapped for a business like Hounds Town USA. “There aren’t many doggy daycares around here, especially not those at the level of Hounds Town. There is a real niche for it here,” said Enders. 

Unlike many northern cities, the heat of the Las Vegas desert climate can be uncomfortable, even dangerous, for dogs. “It’s too hot for their feet, and it’s not good for dogs to be running around in the 100-degree weather during the day. People can drop them off in our air-conditioning, pick them up after work, and they have their full workout in for the day,” Enders said. 

The corporate team at Hounds Town agreed that markets like Las Vegas, and other locations in the West and Southwest, are ideal for the brand. “Just like many large cities, Las Vegas is currently being underserved by reliable and trustworthy pet care options as the population of working pet parents increases in the area. We believe the greater Las Vegas market could hold about three locations, or even more, as the population grows.” said Bondanza. “We have several great candidates in the pipeline in markets including Denver, Phoenix, and Arizona, and look forward to our western expansion.”

Enders is still in the site-selection process, but his location is estimated to open in summer or fall of 2020. As Hounds Town USA looks westward for expansion, the brand is on track to open seven to 10 new locations this year.  

The startup costs for a Hounds Town USA franchise range from $463,800 to $422,500. The franchise fee starts at $75,000 for two units. To learn more about franchising with Hounds Town USA, visit https://www.houndstownfranchise.com/.