READY FOR A BIG RETURN

1 DOGTOPIA

PREPARES FOR PANDEMIC PUPS

“FOR A DOG, the pandemic has been the best thing,” says Neil Gill, president and CEO of Dogtopia. After all, when offices first shuttered and employees shifted to spending their days at home, pups enjoyed spending ample time with their owners. As a result, the dog daycare, boarding, and grooming franchise saw sales plummet by 80 percent in April alone. But in the long run, Gill sees a very different trend: The pandemic may ultimately be a great thing for his industry.

“Most organizations miss the signs of a tipping point, but that’s because a tipping point isn’t one single event—it’s a series of events,” he says. As he sees it, here are the factors combining for a doggy business boom.

First, the pendulum already swung back his way. Within weeks of lockdowns beginning in spring of 2020, some customers started to return to his business, which was deemed essential. (Juggling work and kids and a dog, after all, is no day at the park.)

Then came what Gill calls the “puppy binge.” Adoption rates rose 40 percent during the pandemic, and 76 percent of millennials now own a dog. What will happen to those