How Founder Mike Gould's Rich Experience in Military Canine Handling and K9 Training with the NYPD Sets Hounds Town USA Apart

Mike Gould, then NYPD officer, was sitting in his police cruiser one night in 1979 having the same argument he would have with his shift partner they had every night—what were they going to eat for dinner? An announcement came on that the NYPD was looking for officers to launch the city’s first-ever K9 Unit. “My partner and I were fighting like an old married couple,” Gould joked. “I thought to myself, ‘I’m never going to have to argue about what I have for dinner ever again if my partner is a dog.’”

It seemed like pure happenstance, but Gould’s work with dogs evolved into both a true love for canine companions and a 40-plus year career. Since that fateful day, Gould has been working with animals in some capacity, from the NYPD, to the military, to his work today with the friendly canine care brand he founded: Hounds Town USA. Thanks to Gould’s extensive background in canine psychology, behavior and training, Hounds Town USA has emerged as a doggie daycare franchise that’s way out in front of the pack.

“Our approach to animal grouping and interaction is different, and we make it as simple as possible for franchisees,” said Gould, who, since founding Hounds Town in 2001, has overseen the care of over 1.5 million dogs. “I’ve essentially been working in a laboratory of dog behavior for the past 30 years,” he said. The franchise support team behind Hounds Town—which, along with Founder & CEO Gould includes President Jackie Bondanza—is incredibly invested in the success of the brand’s franchisees.

In 1973 and before joining the NYPD, Gould enlisted in the military toward the end of the Vietnam War. He spent two years in active duty and has been in the reserves ever since. Shortly after 9/11, Gould was deployed to Naples, Italy with the military dog program, where he spent almost a year working extensively with military working dogs.

“Dogs are simple,” said Gould of his unique approach to doggie daycare. “Humans complicate dogs, but at Hounds Town we just want to give them a place where they can truly be dogs.” Gould went on to say that if there is anything he has learned from his extensive background in  canine behavioral studies, it is that respect is key.

“Dogs have been around for 500,000 years, and they really haven’t evolved much since then,” said Gould. “We share a lot of similarities, but dogs are much closer to wolves than humans. They have mammalian brains and expressive personalities, but dogs don’t have the same capacity for judgement, hate or discrimination that humans do. For this reason, social interaction with dogs is all about respecting them, not acting like their master,” said Gould. “At Hounds Town, dogs are grouped in such a way that that they can be themselves. They are free from the constraints of a domestic environment, and we never use corrections or prohibitions.” Gould said that the moment a dog steps into the doors of one of Hounds Town’s playrooms, they are relieved of any pressures of the outside world.

Hounds Town USA isn’t just a fun and rewarding business, but a great franchise opportunity for candidates who are interested in investing in a truly special doggie daycare experience. Hounds Town USA offers services including doggie daycare, overnight boarding, grooming and pet transportation all within a tried-and-true business model with nearly 20 years of success behind it.

Because of the training that Gould provides to franchisees, Hounds Town USA does not breed discriminate. “Really great animals that would be turned away from other daycare centers are welcomed at Hounds Town, which is ultimately great for the business of our owners,” said Gould. “The way that we group animals is not just based strictly on size or temperament, but on a more complex personality assessment. Many of our competitors don’t understand the fundamental behaviors of pack animals—that’s not the case at Hounds Town.”