Skiptown Enters Texas With Five-Unit Austin Deal

Skiptown, the Charlotte-based dog care franchisor, has signed a five-unit development agreement covering greater Austin, its first deal in Texas. Local franchisees Marilyn and Matt Willson plan to open the first location in fall 2027 and add one roughly every 18 months after that.

A Bundled Service Model

Skiptown stacks daycare, overnight boarding, bathing, grooming and walking under one roof, run through a mobile app for booking, check-in and owner updates. That mix matters for unit economics. Daycare drives weekday visits, boarding fills holiday peaks, and grooming adds ticket size from the same customer, which smooths revenue across the calendar.

A Slow, Deliberate Rollout

At one opening every 18 months, the full Austin buildout stretches roughly seven years. The pace reflects the format: dog care facilities need large footprints, zoning approval for animal uses and serious buildout for noise control and sanitation. Starting in North Austin, Cedar Park or Pflugerville puts the flagship in fast-growing suburbs where new households and pet ownership overlap.

A Crowded Category Gets Another Entrant

Texas is already a heavy market for pet franchising. Camp Bow Wow recently signed three North Texas units on a cheaper build model, and grooming brands like Scenthound keep selling multi-unit territories nationwide. Skiptown is betting that technology and play-style grouping, rather than grouping dogs by size, will set it apart from legacy daycare operators.

What Operators Should Take From It

Young pet brands are selling multi-unit territories before they have deep system data, which shifts risk onto the first franchisees in each market. Prospective owners should press for unit-level performance from the three open markets and a realistic view of real estate costs before committing to a long development schedule.