Growing Franchise Breaks Down the Barriers to Pet Ownership: FETCH! Pet Care Fills Demand for Professional Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Services

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Nation's Largest Pet Care Franchise Explodes in $43 Billion Segment

September 18, 2008 // Franchising.com // Berkeley, CA - Find a void in the marketplace and fill it. With that simple formula in mind, entrepreneur Paul Mann went on to build the nation's largest and most professional at-home pet sitting and dog-walking franchise, with 200 locations in more than 1,800 communities across 35 states.

FETCH! Pet Care, with a fitting tagline of "We've Got Your Tail Covered," continues to expand at a rapid pace, opening 10-15 new franchises per month, nationwide, by breaking down the No. 1 barrier to pet ownership: a lack of proper care for pets while their owners work or travel. The franchise provides professionally trained, bonded and insured pet sitters for owners of any kind of pet, from dogs and cats, to hamsters, birds, fish, iguanas and more. Caregivers can be hired for ongoing daily services, as well as on weekends, during busy holidays or on short notice.

"I created this business with a mission that no pet should go uncared for," said Paul Mann, founder and CEO. "When a pet owner hires FETCH! Pet Care, they know they will come home to a happy pet. The majority of FETCH! Pet Care customers prefer not to kennel their pets due to health or safety concerns, or they simply feel better having their pets at home, in the safety and comfort of the pet's own environment."

After experiencing frustration in finding professional, reliable care for his own pets, Mann walked away from a lucrative career in the technology industry, determined to fill an obvious hole in the market. Since its founding in 2002, FETCH! Pet Care has blossomed into a multi-million dollar franchise that continues to grow by more than 200 percent each year in this rapidly growing industry. Mann notes more than two-thirds of U.S. households own pets, and an estimated $43 billion will be spent in the pet industry this year -- double the amount spent only a decade ago. The industry is expected to grow to $52 billion in just two years.

In addition to its basic pet care services, FETCH! Pet Care also offers daily pet visits, private dog walks, group off-leash dog outings, in-home overnight sitting, private boarding, day and evening care, pet fitness services, pet taxi services, home care, yard pet waste cleanup, and medication for pets.

Mann maintains that while there are many independent pet sitters who are loving and caring, the vast majority don't have great business acumen, which has affected the perception of the pet care industry. With criminal background checks for all of its caregivers, a sophisticated telephone dispatch system and advanced software that tracks assignments and delivers real-time electronic client order confirmations and automated sitter assignment reminders, FETCH! Pet Care is changing that image. The business can be run from home and requires an initial franchise fee of only $12,000.

Through a series of partnerships with leading corporations and associations, such as AAA and Blue Cross/Blue Shield, more than 75 million employees, customers and members can now receive discounts on FETCH! Pet Care services as a perk. In addition, by adding FETCH! Pet Care service discounts to their employee benefits packages, many companies are enjoying "pet-friendly" status in the workplace.

"We like to say that if pets could talk, we know what they would say. They want and deserve the best love and attention every day in their own comfortable setting. That's at the core of our business. That's what FETCH! Pet Care will always be about."

About FETCH! Pet Care

Founded in 2002 and with over 1,800 service areas across the United States, FETCH! Pet Care is the pet sitting industry market leader - the new face of pet care in the 21st century. The company offers a humane alternative to kennel boarding by providing loving, in-home overnight and/or daily care to any kind of pet in the most professional and reliable manner possible. FETCH! Pet Care thoroughly selects, screens, trains, and insures all of the pet sitters and dog walkers within its network. Entrepreneur magazine named the company among its coveted "Franchise 500" in both 2007 and 2008, and in January 2008 ranked the company as the nation's 24th Top New Franchise. In September, 2008 FETCH! Pet Care was awarded the rank of the 963rd fastest growing private company in the U.S. on the Inc. 5000 list. For more information, visit www.FetchPetCare.com or call 1-866-FETCH-ME.

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