The Dog Stop Brings Dog Daycare, Boarding and Grooming Under One Roof With First Kansas City Location
Executive Summary: The Dog Stop, a Pittsburgh-based pet services franchise, will open its first Kansas City location in late October 2026 at 2713 Cherry Street in Midtown. The roughly 10,000-square-foot facility, owned by local franchisees Charlie and Ellen Tocco, combines dog daycare, overnight boarding, grooming and retail in one building. The opening signals continued franchise confidence in bundled, premium dog care even as US consumers grow more selective about discretionary spending.
Key Facts
- Company
- The Dog Stop (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; founded 2009, franchising since 2013)
- Franchisees
- Charlie and Ellen Tocco, Kansas City owners; Charlie Tocco manages day-to-day operations
- Event
- Announcement of the brand’s first Kansas City location, opening late October 2026
- Location
- 2713 Cherry Street, Midtown Kansas City, Missouri, United States
- Facility
- About 10,000 sq ft total: roughly 8,500 sq ft indoors plus 1,500 sq ft outdoors
- Services
- Dog daycare, boarding, grooming, retail; Fear Free trained staff; 24/7 camera access
- Date
- September 26, 2026 (announcement)
- Source
- The Dog Stop announcement via PR Newswire, September 26, 2026
What Happened
The Dog Stop announced on September 26, 2026 that it will enter the Kansas City market with its first local facility, a roughly 10,000-square-foot site at 2713 Cherry Street in Midtown, scheduled to open in late October 2026. The location will be owned and operated by Kansas City couple Charlie and Ellen Tocco, with Charlie Tocco handling daily operations. According to the company’s announcement distributed through PR Newswire, the building will house about 8,500 square feet of indoor space and 1,500 square feet outdoors, with multiple play yards separated by age, energy level and play style, plus a dedicated area for dogs that do better outside group play. The site bundles dog daycare, overnight boarding, grooming and retail under one roof, a format the brand has scaled across the United States since it began franchising in 2013. For the Kansas City pet services market, the arrival of a 61-outlet national dog daycare chain marks a new competitive reference point for local operators.
Background
The Dog Stop was founded in Pittsburgh in 2009 and started selling franchises in 2013. Its 2024 franchise disclosure document shows 61 franchised outlets open as of December 31, 2023, which places it among the larger dedicated dog-care pet franchise systems in the country. The brand positions itself as a multi-revenue model: daycare, boarding, grooming, training, in-home services and retail, though not every site launches with every service. For owners comparing dog training near me options in the metros it enters, training is listed among the franchise service lines but is not guaranteed at every location. Kansas City’s new owners said in the company’s release that they picked the franchise because it let them build a business around something they care about while using an established operating system. That is a common franchisee pitch, but the size of the site — 10,000 square feet in a dense Midtown corridor — is a real signal about how much capacity the brand is putting behind a first entry into this metro.
Industry Context
Pet services sit in the discretionary slice of pet spending, and that slice has been the most sensitive to consumer caution in 2026. Retail data published through the year keeps pointing the other way: owners protect food and veterinary care first and think harder about extras. Yet franchise systems in daycare and boarding keep expanding, betting that two-income households, urban living and longer working weeks make paid dog care a habit rather than a luxury. The Dog Stop’s Kansas City entry follows the same playbook as Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash earlier this year: keep opening units, differentiate on service standards, and pre-sell memberships before doors open. The Kansas City site is already running pre-sale founding member offers for daycare and boarding, an early-revenue tactic that also gives the owners a demand read before opening day.
Market & Business Impact
For Kansas City, the practical impact is capacity and price reference. A 10,000-square-foot facility with separate play zones adds meaningful daily inventory for dog daycare and boarding in one neighborhood, and its published rate cards will anchor what nearby independents can charge. Nationally, each new multi-service unit adds to the growing stock of professional dog boarding and doggie daycare capacity, a category where owners remain willing to spend despite budget scrutiny. The Fear Free angle matters commercially as well: all Kansas City staff will be trained through the brand’s partnership with Fear Free to recognize and reduce fear, anxiety and stress in dogs. Stress-reduction certification has become a marketable standard in grooming and boarding, and it gives veterinarians a referral partner with a defined handling philosophy rather than a generic promise.
Companies & Brands Involved
The Dog Stop is the franchisor and the operating brand. Charlie and Ellen Tocco are the local franchisees; Charlie Tocco runs day-to-day operations. Fear Free is the training partner whose curriculum the Kansas City team will complete. PR Newswire carried the company’s announcement, and trade outlet The Herd reported the entry on September 26, 2026. The company also said the Toccos plan to work with local rescue organizations and potentially host adoption events, which would tie the new store into Kansas City’s shelter and rescue network from the start.
Data & Evidence
Figures in this article come from the company’s September 26, 2026 announcement and its 2024 franchise disclosure document as cited by The Herd: 61 franchised outlets open as of December 31, 2023; facility size of roughly 10,000 square feet, split about 8,500 indoors and 1,500 outdoors; opening target of late October 2026; founding-member pre-sale offers live before opening. The Herd notes that claims about 24/7 camera access and individualized care come from the company itself and should be read as brand positioning, not an independent performance assessment.
What This Means for the Pet Industry
The Kansas City opening is one more data point that pet services are consolidating into franchise systems with standardized training and multi-revenue floors, much as pet retail consolidated a decade ago. For suppliers, that shift changes the customer: instead of hundreds of independent groomers buying ad hoc, franchisors and their franchisees buy in volumes, want consistency across sites and respond to certification-linked claims like Fear Free. For independent operators in markets The Dog Stop enters, the practical question is whether to compete on price, which is hard against a 10,000-square-foot cost base, or on specialization such as cats, senior dogs, medical boarding or training add-ons. GPI’s view is that bundled daycare-plus-grooming formats will keep taking share in mid-sized US metros through 2027, and that the next battleground will be staffing standards rather than square footage.
Key Takeaways
- The Dog Stop announced on September 26, 2026 its first Kansas City location, a roughly 10,000-square-foot facility at 2713 Cherry Street opening in late October 2026.
- The site combines dog daycare, boarding, grooming and retail, and is owned by Kansas City franchisees Charlie and Ellen Tocco.
- The franchise system had 61 franchised outlets open as of December 31, 2023, according to its 2024 franchise disclosure document.
- All Kansas City staff will complete Fear Free training, and the store plans pre-sale memberships and local rescue partnerships before opening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where will The Dog Stop open in Kansas City?
At 2713 Cherry Street in Midtown Kansas City, Missouri, in a roughly 10,000-square-foot facility with about 8,500 square feet indoors and 1,500 square feet outdoors. The company targets a late-October 2026 opening.
What services will the Kansas City location offer?
Dog daycare, overnight boarding, grooming and retail. Play areas are separated by age, energy level and play style, including a separate space for dogs that do better outside group play. Owners searching dog daycare near me in the metro will also find pre-sale founding member offers for recurring daycare and boarding plans.
Who owns the new Kansas City The Dog Stop?
Kansas City couple Charlie and Ellen Tocco own the location as franchisees, with Charlie Tocco managing day-to-day operations. The Dog Stop, founded in Pittsburgh in 2009, has franchised since 2013 and reported 61 franchised outlets at the end of 2023.
Why does Fear Free training matter for dog boarding near me searches?
Fear Free training teaches staff to recognize and reduce fear, anxiety and stress in dogs. For owners comparing dog boarding near me options, a certified team signals defined handling standards, and for veterinarians it creates a referral partner aligned with lower-stress care outside the clinic.
Is grooming available at the new store, and how does it compare with dog grooming near me alternatives?
Yes. Grooming is one of the four service lines in the Kansas City building. Against typical dog grooming near me results, the differentiator is the combined format: daycare, a grooming appointment and retail in one visit, supported by Fear Free trained staff.
Sources
- Primary — The Dog Stop via PR Newswire, “The Dog Stop Announces First Kansas City Location”, September 26, 2026, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-dog-stop-announces-first-kansas-city-location-302886492.html
- Secondary — The Herd, “The Dog Stop enters Kansas City with first local location”, September 26, 2026, https://theherd.news/the-feed/the-dog-stop-enters-kansas-city-with-first-local-location
