Hike DoggieFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Hike Doggie franchise requires a total initial investment of $89K – $205K, including a $72K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $89K – $205K
- 26th pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 61st pct Pet Services
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 50th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 2
- 15th pct Pet Services
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Pet Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Pet Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Started franchising in 2025. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $89K – $205K including a $72K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 65/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Happie Doggie, LLC
- Parent company
- Loyalty, LLC and Hike Doggie Franchising, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Loyalty, LLC
- CEO title
- CEO
- Cory Hughes
- CEO experience
- 13 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 780 Lynnhaven Parkway, Suite 240, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
- Auditor
- Kezos & Dunlavy
- Audited financials
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- Hike Doggie
- has offered franchises s
- Loyalty Business Services
- ATAX
- Loyalty Brokers
- Purely Pet
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Hike Doggie franchisees operate dog walking, pet sitting, and/or dog daycare services in protected territories. Day-to-day operations likely involve scheduling client walks, managing staff, maintaining customer relationships, and handling pet care logistics. The exact service mix and operational model are unclear given the nascent unit count.
- CEO
- Cory Hughes
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $45K | $45K | |
| Brand Identity Package | $5K | $5K | |
| Bus and Bus Upfitting | $2K | $82K | |
| Dog Transportation Equipment | $6K | $6K | |
| Bus Vehicle Wrap | $5K | $5K | |
| Bus Transport/Delivery | $0 | $4K | |
| Hike Doggie Bus Inventory and Supplies | $2K | $3K | |
| Computer System | $2K | $3K | |
| Hike Doggie Bus Stop Equipment and Supplies | $4K | $11K | |
| Training Expenses | $2K | $3K | |
| Insurance - 3 Months | $3K | $4K | |
| Professional Expenses | $2K | $3K | |
| Licenses and Permits | $500 | $1K | |
| Grand Opening Program | $3K | $3K | |
| Lease, Utility, and Security Deposits, Storage | $0 | $4K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months | $10K | $25K | |
| Total initial investment | $89K | $205K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $89K – $205K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $72K – $125K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $15K |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Pet Services averages
How Hike Doggie Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 50%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 9
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 19 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Hike Doggie is a pre-revenue or micro-system franchise with a legally troubled founder, zero financial transparency, going concern issues, and insufficient operating units to validate the business model.
Litigation (Item 3)
John Hewitt (CEO/Chairman of Loyalty) named in 1 pending case and 4 concluded cases. Pending: Lubert v. Hewitt/ATAX/Loyalty (filed May 2025) alleging fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, and unauthorized cash withdrawals from QOZB investment. Concluded: K&A Publicidad v. Liberty Tax (settled Jan 2019, $50k); Szawronski v. Liberty Tax (settled Jan 2019, $50k); Asbestos Workers' Philadelphia Pension Fund derivative suit (consolidated Dec 2017); Erie County Employees Retirement System derivative suit (consolidated Dec 2017).
Largest disclosed settlement: $50,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kezos & Dunlavy
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 65 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 2 operating units with unknown growth trajectory suggests system is pre-revenue or contracting
- 02MEDNo Item 19 (average revenue/net income) disclosed—cannot validate unit economics or ROI potential
- 03HIGHLitigation history involving founder John Hewitt and Liberty Tax Service includes fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and non-compete violations, raising integrity concerns
- 04HIGHGoing Concern = False indicates potential solvency or operational viability concerns flagged in FDD
- 05MINORHigh franchise fee ($45,000) relative to minimal system size creates disproportionate risk with unproven model
- 06MED8% royalty on undisclosed revenues means ongoing cost burden without transparent profitability benchmarks
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | Zip codes, natural, or political boundaries |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 125,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Virginia |
| Litigation count | 8 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
John Hewitt (CEO/Chairman of Loyalty) named in 1 pending case and 4 concluded cases. Pending: Lubert v. Hewitt/ATAX/Loyalty (filed May 2025) alleging fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, and unauthorized cash withdrawals from QOZB investment. Concluded: K&A Publicidad v. Liberty Tax (settled Jan 2019, $50k); Szawronski v. Liberty Tax (settled Jan 2019, $50k); Asbestos Workers' Philadelphia Pension Fund derivative suit (consolidated Dec 2017); Erie County Employees Retirement System derivative suit (consolidated Dec 2017).
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 25 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Time to Pet
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Time to Pet
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
21 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Hike Doggie · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Hike Doggie franchise?
The total investment to open a Hike Doggie franchise ranges from $89K – $205K, with an initial franchise fee of $72K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Hike Doggie franchise owners earn?
Hike Doggie does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Hike Doggie's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Hike Doggie (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Hike Doggie franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Hike Doggie has 2 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Hike Doggie a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Hike Doggie as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 65 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.