Rover.com just closed a $3.4 million series A funding round that will help it help dog owners go on vacation sans Fido.
Rover.com is, essentially, an alternative to kenneling. It connects owners with dog sitters. Another way to look at it: Airbnb, but for dogs.
You create a profile for your dog. You enter your zip code, and you begin looking for sitters, who will either come to your house or watch your dog in their own homes. You can find trustworthy sitters by reading their reviews, and you can filter sitters by price or location. Once you’ve decided on the sitter, you can book and pay through Rover.com.
As for the funding round, it was led by Madrona Venture Group and included other investors, like Michael Arrington’s CrunchFund.
“Rover.com plans to use the funding to expand its national footprint and offer its service as an alternative to kennels in every major U.S. market,” according to the press release.
The service launched in November of 2011 and has grown to more than 10,000 active members in the US. According to TechCrunch, it is already available in 500 cities.
Aaron Easterly, CEO of Rover.com, talked about his site’s success in a press release announcing the funding:
“In the past, dog owners had limited choices for dog care, and those choices weren’t appealing. You could board your dog in a kennel, which can be stressful for your dog and expensive, or you could rely on friends or family, which is not always convenient and can feel like an imposition. Rover.com provides dog lovers with a community of like-minded people who love to take care of dogs and more often than not are willing to do it for less money than a traditional kennel charges.”
The company takes a 15 percent revenue share for facilitating the marketplace for the sitters. It also vets all the sitters, so dog owners can vacation at ease.
One of Rover’s main competitors is DogVacay, which offers a very similar service.
