Large Suburban Populations With Long Commutes Make Pennsylvania Ripe for Hounds Town USA Expansion

Long commutes often cut into time spent with one’s furry friends, and Hounds Town USA plans to combat this problem by expanding its doggie daycare services throughout the state of Pennsylvania. The brand has already made traction, having recently signed agreements to open three franchises in Philadelphia and one in Pittsburgh. 

This is a strong start to ambitious expansion plans within the state. Hounds Town USA has room for at least 10 franchises in the Philadelphia area and five franchises in the Pittsburgh area. Overall, the brand aims to have more than 30 locations in the state of Pennsylvania and projects there will be at least 10 locations in the state within the next five years. 

New franchisee Joe Allbaugh, whose Pittsburgh franchise is scheduled to open by mid-August 2019, is a dog enthusiast whose professional background includes financial services and human resources. Allbaugh also plans to open two additional Hounds Town USA franchises in Pennsylvania.  

“I originally looked at several companies, but ultimately landed on Hounds Town USA due to the tremendous support they provide to new franchisees as well as support throughout the system,” said Allbaugh, who owns three dogs - an American Bulldog, a French bulldog and an English bulldog. 

Allbaugh loves the brand for the opportunity it provides him to stay within the business sector without feeling like a corporate job. 

“I was looking for a business that would be small enough to still be team-built and have that camaraderie in the workplace without feeling too corporate,” Allbaugh said. “That is ultimately what I found in Hounds Town USA. The flexibility of the business model allows me to have ownership in something without having the stress of taking it all on myself.”

By expanding within the state of Pennsylvania, Hounds Town USA is building upon the success it has already seen on the East Coast, particularly in Long Island, New York, where there are many dog lovers seeking quality care. Plus, Hounds Town USA President Jackie Bondanza noted that Pennsylvania is near the company headquarters in Ronkonkoma, New York, making it easy to tap into the excellent franchisee support given by the corporate team.

“Pennsylvania has a large population of people who care about their dogs but also have to travel for work. They don’t necessarily have the time to rush home after work to walk their dogs, so there is a demand for services that will take excellent care of their dogs,” said Bondanza. “Our services make Hounds Town USA an attractive option for multiple demographics. Pennsylvania also has strong suburban communities that meet our price points, and the real estate market is a solid one for small and medium-sized businesses.” 

A Hounds Town USA franchise creates an average of 20 to 25 jobs which, combined with the dog-centric mentality the caretakers have, makes the brand a positive presence within the communities it serves. 

“Hounds Town USA provides dogs with a safe place to be dogs and learn social skills, which is valuable to the entire community,” Bondanza said. 

Husband-and-wife franchisees Paul and Wendy Boehm signed a three-unit deal to bring Hounds Town USA to Philadelphia’s suburbs. They looked into other doggie daycare franchising options, and what stood out to them about Hounds Town USA was its focus on dog behavior.

“We were looking for a good, solid model we could copy but we also liked that it was not quite as rigid as some of the other ones we looked at,” Paul said. “Hounds Town USA has enough flexibility to let us be us. I also really liked [CEO Mike Gould’s] experience with dogs and dog behavior—I feel like that will take us pretty far.” 

Hounds Town is looking to expand its presence in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and is also seeking franchise owners in Allentown.

The startup costs for a Hounds Town USA franchise range from $293,800 to $452,500. The franchise fee starts at $75,000 for two units. To learn more about franchising with Hounds Town USA, visit https://www.houndstownfranchise.com/.