SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DogVacay (www.dogvacay.com), the leading online and mobile pet-sitting and services community, today announced the launch of Daycare, its newest offering in its suite of pet care services. For pet owners, Daycare offers a trusted and safe way to ensure pets are cared for while they are at work, school or away from home for an extended period of time during the day.
Currently, the paid pet daycare market is worth $1B, making it nearly 10% of the overall pet care services market. Beyond paid daycare services, there’s an additional untapped $1.5B market opportunity of unpaid services.
With the new service, DogVacay hosts will be able to set and display rates specific for Daycare. Guests can select Daycare as a service when searching to filter results to show only hosts who offer Daycare and can book non-consecutive dates. For example, if a professional works from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he or she can book Daycare for Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
“Most dogs experience some kind of separation anxiety, which may not be apparent to the owner given many signs such as howling, chewing and destruction don’t appear right way,” said Dr. Ashley Mustakas, DVM. “In my experience, dogs are happier in daycare environments, where they get love and constant attention, rather than being home alone or checked on infrequently.”
“Since we began DogVacay, we’ve primarily been focused on our overnight business, and our community of hundreds of thousands of pet owners have come to rely on us as the leading pet services provider to continue to revolutionize pet care,” said Aaron Hirschhorn, founder and CEO of DogVacay. “58% of our DogVacay community can’t go more than 6 hours without checking on their dog, but the average workday is 7.5 hours on top of a 25-minute commute each way, making this problematic for working dog owners. To continue to deliver the best possible experience for our community and also for their dogs, we’re expanding to Daycare, continuing towards our goal to deliver peace of mind for pet owners and ultimately happier dogs.”
DogVacay makes it easy to find and book the perfect, affordable host, whether dog owners need to use the service five days a week or only once in awhile. Each visit includes a no-commitment meet-and-greet, vet insurance, 24/7 emergency support and daily photo updates.
Since launching in 2012, DogVacay has built a reputation as the place where pet owners can find trusted, loving and experienced sitters nearby. With more than 20,000 vetted and insured sitters across the U.S. and Canada, over 1M nights booked and $47M in funding from some of the world’s top investors, DogVacay is steadily marching toward its goal of building the largest pet services company in the world.
Dog owners can go to DogVacay.com and DogVacay’s iPhone app to learn more and see the directory of local sitters in their area who are available for daycare.
About DogVacay
DogVacay is an online and mobile community that connects pet parents in need of pet care services (home dog boarding, pet sitting, doggie daycare) with qualified pet caregivers. DogVacay has thousands of vetted and insured dog (and cat!) lovers across the country ready to watch your pet like they are a member of their family. Guests can browse hosts in their area, schedule and book online or through DogVacay’s mobile app. All reservations include vet insurance, 24/7 emergency support and daily photo updates. DogVacay was founded by husband and wife team Aaron and Karine Hirschhorn in March 2012.
