FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · PENNSYLVANIA

Dogtopia franchise in Pennsylvania: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Dogtopia in Pennsylvania have taken 9 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $760,611). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Dogtopia's national ratio is 0.6× (not clearly different from 1.0×).

SBA loan outcomes · Pennsylvaniavs same-year franchise loans

Loans in PA

9

Charged off (all years)

0 of 4

Loss ratio in PA

—

Loss ratio nationally (not clear)

0.6×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = PA. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.

Market density · Pennsylvania vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

966

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

7.4

national 7.2

Versus the country

+3%

denser

Every business in Dogtopia's industry operating in Pennsylvania — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Labor cost · Pennsylvania vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$547

Pennsylvania, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$620

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-12%

cheaper to staff

What Dogtopia's industry actually pays workers in Pennsylvania, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Pennsylvania4 systems
SystemLoans in PACharged off (all years)Loss ratio in PAUnits in PA
Camp Bow Wow100 of 5——
Pet Supplies Plus100 of 4——
PETLAND102 of 6—4
HOUNDS TOWN USA9——7

Other systems in Dogtopia's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Pennsylvania. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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