Good Dog
7 known investors
Good Dog operates a marketplace connecting prospective dog owners with reputable breeders, shelters, and rescues, using veterinary and animal welfare standards to screen sources and reduce irresponsible breeding practices. The platform provides guidance and support to help people adopt dogs from responsible sources.
Also known as Good Dog, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Investors · 7
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Also in the syndicate · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Good Dog, Inc. operates an online marketplace and mobile app that connects prospective dog owners with breeders, shelters and rescues that have been screened against the company's own vetting standards. Prospective owners browse profiles by breed, location or organization type, save listings, submit applications directly to a partner, and receive the information needed to evaluate a source; partners in turn receive applicant information to judge fit. Alongside listings, the company publishes a Learning Center with breed information and material contributed by breeders, breed experts and veterinary specialists [0][1][5][6].
The consumer Android app, 'Good Dog: Find Your Puppy,' provides search and alerts for new puppies and upcoming litters, in-app messaging plus voice and video calls with breeders, verified owner reviews, secured payments under 'Good Dog Payment Protection,' access to Care Specialists, and a Puppy Training Program with coaching sessions. The Play Store listing describes access to over 40,000 vetted breeders spanning 300+ breeds in all 50 states [3]. A help center segments support by audience — dog seekers, breeders, and shelters/rescues — and offers separate onboarding paths for organizations wishing to join the network [0][2].
The company is registered as Good Dog, Inc. with an address at 99 University Pl Fl 3, New York, NY 10003, and a support contact of help@gooddog.com [3].
Founding story
Co-founders Josh Wais and Lauren McDevitt, both early employees at the ecommerce company Jet (Wais reported to the chief revenue officer; McDevitt led the product management team building Jet's website and mobile apps) and former co-founders of Wantworthy, conceived Good Dog while searching for their own first dog. They found the process opaque, with no central resource and no clear way to distinguish responsible providers from disreputable ones such as puppy mills and backyard breeders. After Jet was sold to Walmart in 2016 for $3.3 billion, they used their operating experience to build a vetting-based marketplace [5][6][7].
Business model
Good Dog runs a two-sided marketplace. At launch it charged prospective owners a fee of around $100 once they decided to proceed with acquiring a dog, and did not charge breeders, shelters or rescues; sources also could not pay for featured placement [5]. The app adds transaction handling through 'Good Dog Payment Protection' for payments made to breeders via the platform [3].
Buyer-side transaction fee (approximately $100 at 2019 launch) rather than fees to breeders, shelters or rescues; in-platform payments are processed with the company's payment protection [5][3].
Traction
The website states that over 250,000 families have found their dog through Good Dog; the Google Play listing cites 100,000+ downloads, 40,000+ vetted breeders, 300+ breeds and coverage of all 50 states, and in its body text references 150,000+ families. At the 2019 launch the platform listed more than 1,000 vetted sources [0][1][3][5].
Latest developments
The Android app was most recently updated on 2026-08-17 with performance improvements described as making it easier to work with breeders; current app features include in-app voice and video calling with breeders and incoming call notifications [3].
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Good Dog positions itself as a single vetted destination spanning breeders, shelters and rescues, in a market its investors sized at $72 billion for pets at the time of the 2019 round. Coverage described the dog-acquisition market as fragmented, with no existing central resource focused on health and temperament standards [0][5][7].
The company's stated distinction is aggregating breeders, shelters and rescues in one place under a single screening standard, using advisor-backed criteria that vary by source type and breed, refusing paid placement, not charging supply-side partners, and layering on payment protection, Care Specialist support and post-purchase training resources [0][3][5].
Technology
A web marketplace and native mobile app providing breed and location search, saved favorites, litter alerts, an in-app messenger with voice and video calling and call notifications, verified reviews, and secured in-app payments. Screening relies on proprietary standards developed with an advisory group, applied differently by source type and by breed, covering health needs, socialization and housing environment [3][5][7].
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer via the gooddog.com website and iOS/Android apps, with a Learning Center for education-led acquisition, and dedicated join flows and support tracks to recruit breeders, shelters and rescues onto the platform [0][2][3].
Prospective dog owners in the United States seeking a puppy or adoptable dog, plus the supply side: responsible breeders, shelters and rescue organizations that apply to join the network [0][2][3].
Geography
United States nationwide, with breeders in all 50 states; the company is headquartered in New York City (99 University Pl Fl 3, New York, NY 10003) [3][6].
History
Good Dog launched its website publicly in early April 2019, concurrent with the announcement of $6.7 million in funding. At launch the platform listed dogs from more than 1,000 vetted sources across the United States, and investor David Tisch became chairman of the board. By the time of the current app listing, the company describes a nationwide network of more than 40,000 vetted breeders and states that over 250,000 families have found a dog through the platform [0][3][5][7].
Risks & controversies
Sources note the broader dog-acquisition market includes puppy mills, backyard breeders and outright scams, which is the risk environment Good Dog's vetting is intended to address; no controversies about the company itself appear in the sources. The Google Play listing discloses that the app may collect location, personal information and other data types and may share several data types with third parties [3][7].
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 2
by search overlap
Companies competing with Good Dog for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsThe 'Good Dog: Find Your Puppy' Android app was updated with performance improvements; listing notes in-app messaging, voice and video calls, payment protection and puppy training program access.
Investor David Tisch provided angel capital and became chairman of Good Dog's board.
Good Dog announced $6.7 million in funding from BoxGroup (David Tisch), Felicis, Slow Ventures, Fuel Capital, BarkBox, SV Angel and angel investors, to be used to scale the business and grow the team.
$6.7M source ↗
The Good Dog marketplace, which pre-vets breeders, shelters and rescues and centralizes the dog-search process, launched its website in early April 2019.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Good Doggooddog.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Good Dog do?
- Good Dog is a US marketplace that vets breeders, shelters and rescues so families can find a dog from a screened source.
- Who founded Good Dog?
- Good Dog was founded by Josh Wais.
- Who are Good Dog's investors?
- Good Dog's investors include Felicis Ventures, Good Friends, Slow Ventures, Fuel Capital, SV Angel.