The Dog StopFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Dog Stop franchise requires a total initial investment of $554K – $1.1M, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $917K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 28.6% charge-off rate across 40 loans[1]. Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $554K – $1.1M
- 74th pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- $917K
- 45th pct Pet Services
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 16th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 37
- 57th pct Pet Services
- SBA default
- 28.6%
- system-wide median varies by category
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
28.6% of SBA loans charged off across 40 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
The system grew 63% year-over-year. Fast growth means demand, but can strain support.
Bottom line
- Total investment $554K – $1.1M including a $60K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $917K/year (median $830K), with an estimated 15% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 68/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 28.6% across 40 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System growing at 72.2% CAGR over 3 years with 37 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- The Dog Stop Franchising, LLC
- CEO title
- Owner and Chief Executive Officer
- Jesse Coslov
- CEO experience
- 2012 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- PA
- HQ
- 1632 William Flinn Highway, Glenshaw, PA 15116
- Auditor
- REESE CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.1M
- vs $2.4M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
The Dog Stop franchisees operate pet care facilities providing grooming, boarding, daycare, and training services for dogs. Day-to-day operations involve managing staff (groomers, trainers, kennel attendants), scheduling appointments, handling pet care logistics, maintaining facility cleanliness and safety standards, and managing customer relationships and retail sales.
- CEO
- Jesse Coslov
- Headquarters
- PA
- Founded
- 2012
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 13
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60K | $60K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $23K | $104K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $470K | $949K |
| Total initial investment | $554K | $1.1M |
Source: The Dog Stop 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$138K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
15%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
6.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $554K – $1.1M
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $23K – $104K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 6.8 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $6K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $917K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $830K
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $122K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 14.7%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Actual
- Sample size
- 24 units
- vs category median 12
- Range (low → high)
- $379K→$2.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 75 Pet Services brands
vs Pet Services averages
How The Dog Stop Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 37
- Opened
- 12
- 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
- 6
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 84%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +63.2%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +72.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Projected new
- 58
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 2.7%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 13 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
13
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 40
- Loan volume
- $22.9M
- Median loan
- $478K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 28.6%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 71.4%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 20.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 17
- Defaults
- 2
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into The Dog Stop's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 13 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 10-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 28.6% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 3 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
The Dog Stop presents moderate-to-caution risk due to undisclosed financial representations, corporate going concern issues, and aggressive growth that may outpace support systems, despite strong unit expansion and no litigation.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · REESE CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- 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 68 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Financial Performance Representations) disclosed — cannot validate the $917,252 average revenue claim independently
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, indicating potential financial instability at corporate level despite 63.2% unit growth
- 03MINORHigh investment range ($553.5K–$1.1M) relative to reported net income ($161K), creating 3.4–6.9 year payback period with no contingency
- 04MINORRapid 63.2% YoY unit growth may indicate aggressive expansion outpacing operational infrastructure or franchisee quality control
- 05MINOR6% royalty on gross sales (not net) extracts $55K annually from average unit, reducing actual take-home margins
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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius, zip codes, or geographic boundaries |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 40,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 24 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 35 hrs
- Training location
- On-site
- Time to open
- 14 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Pet Exec
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Pet Exec
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Dog Stop franchise?
The total investment to open a The Dog Stop franchise ranges from $554K – $1.1M, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Dog Stop franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the The Dog Stop FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $917K. The median is $830K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is The Dog Stop's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, The Dog Stop has a charge-off rate of 28.6% across 40 loans, meaning 28.6% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many The Dog Stop franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Dog Stop has 37 total units in the United States, including 19 franchised units and 6 company-owned units. 12 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is The Dog Stop a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Dog Stop as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 68 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.