Looking back, the journey from launching Petbookings.com to co-founding Goose has been nothing short of transformative, both for me and for the pet care industry. I first began thinking about online bookings around 2009. At the time, it was baffling to me that while people could book vacations seamlessly on platforms like Expedia or Travelocity, pet care reservations still required a phone call. It felt like a glaring disconnect—a problem begging for a solution.
When I launched Petbookings.com, I had no idea what a startup or venture capital even was. I was simply driven by the belief that offering real-time, instant confirmation for pet care bookings would make life easier for customers and businesses alike. Despite my passion, the industry wasn’t ready. I still remember being heckled off stage during one of my first pitches. It was a humbling experience, but it also highlighted how far behind the industry was—most operators didn’t even understand the cloud or online booking, concepts that seemed almost foreign at the time.
But I stuck with it. Petbookings eventually grew to serve nearly 100 facilities, and customers were seeing great results. Yet, there was always a gap—it was a disconnected system. Our booking engine couldn’t sync with the legacy kennel management software many facilities relied on, creating inefficiencies that we couldn’t fully overcome. It became clear that a standalone booking engine wasn’t enough; the industry needed a full-stack solution. That realization planted the seed for what would eventually become Goose.
From Disconnected Tools to Unified Solutions
When Drew and I started Goose, the original idea was to build a better booking engine. But I quickly realized that wasn’t enough. To truly serve this industry, we needed to create an all-in-one operating system that seamlessly integrated booking, inventory, and revenue management. That vision became our driving force, and today, Goose offers a solution that’s light-years ahead of the disconnected systems I started with.
For example, back in the Petbookings days, I had to manually reconcile our facility’s capacity between two systems—our booking engine and our operating software. Now, with Goose, everything is unified. Businesses can manage their operations, inventory, and customer interactions in one place, reducing errors and saving time.
The Value of E-Commerce and Revenue Management
One of the most underappreciated aspects of Goose—and perhaps of the industry as a whole—is the power of e-commerce fundamentals. Instant online booking is more than just a convenience; it’s a game-changer. It allows businesses to present their services in a way that’s intuitive for customers, enabling real-time decisions that drive revenue. I often joke that “Amazon must have been onto something,” but it’s true. The principles of e-commerce are as relevant in pet care as they are in retail.
Revenue management is another area where Goose excels. By using data to sell the right service to the right customer at the right price, businesses can optimize their income while delivering better value. It’s a sophisticated approach, but one that’s increasingly necessary in a competitive landscape. By the way, sophisticated doesn’t mean difficult. I wrote a guide for anyone interested in getting started with revenue management: www.goose.pet/guides/revenue-management
Challenges and Opportunities
The pet care industry is unique. There isn’t a standard playbook that everyone works from. I’ve encountered everything—from facilities that charge by the hour to those that invoice monthly—which makes it a challenging space to build software for. But these quirks are also what make the work rewarding. Each time we help a facility streamline its operations or adopt a more efficient pricing model, we’re not just selling software—we’re helping businesses grow and thrive.
Looking ahead, one feature I’m particularly excited about is customer segmentation. It’s the key to making online bookings feel personal and precise, giving operators confidence in the reservations they accept. Innovations like these keep me optimistic about the future of Goose and the industry we serve.
Final Thoughts
Reflecting on this journey, I’m struck by how much the industry has evolved—and how much potential still lies ahead. From being booed off stage to building a product that’s redefining pet care operations, it’s been a rollercoaster. But through it all, one thing has remained constant: the belief that we can make pet care better for businesses and their customers alike. And that’s a mission worth pursuing every day.
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