Three Dog Bakery franchise
2022 filing · April 22, 2022Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Three Dog Bakery at a glance
A bakery for dogs selling baked dog treats, dog food and accessories, with cakes and pastries baked in the store. At the end of 2021 there were 40 Three Dog Bakery locations in the US, 37 franchised and 3 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Three Dog Bakery, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2007
- 15 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Typical size
- 1,000–2,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $286K–$405K
- A single Three Dog Bakery
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- A second bakery is $30,000 and later ones $25,000
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- 5.5% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus 1% spent on local marketing. A marketing fund of up to 3% may be added
- Brand fund
- Yes
- Up to 3% of gross sales
- Renewal fee
- $2,500
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 40
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 37
- Company-owned
- 3
- Change in 3 years
- −1
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 19
- Most in Texas, Indiana and Missouri
Support and records
From Three Dog Bakery, LLC’s 2022 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 61; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Three Dog Bakery among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Three Dog Bakery | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $345,416 | Costs less than 51% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5.5% | Lower than 66% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 40 | More than 61% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $538,900 | Lower than 68% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.6× | Lower than 51% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Three Dog Bakery franchise costs
Opening a single Three Dog Bakery costs an estimated $285,872 to $404,959. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are additional funds— three months ($50,000 to $100,000) and architect permits, leasehold improvements ($73,000 to $90,777). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Real Estate/Rent Deposit | $0 | $7,000 | |
| Architect Permits, Leasehold Improvements | $73,000 | $90,777 | |
| Utility and Miscellaneous Security Deposits | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Lighting Fixtures, and Supplies | $58,785 | $75,619 | |
| POS and CRM System | $3,587 | $7,563 | |
| Opening Inventory | $48,000 | $55,000 | |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Signage (interior and one exterior) | $3,000 | $7,000 | |
| Travel and Living Expenses While in Training | $1,000 | $3,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Requirement | $2,500 | $4,000 | |
| Miscellaneous | $3,000 | $6,000 | |
| Additional Funds— Three Months | $50,000 | $100,000 | |
| Total | $285,872 | $404,959 | |
Source: Three Dog Bakery, LLC, 2022 filing, page 15
Three Dog Bakery franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000, a second bakery is $30,000 and later ones $25,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Three Dog Bakery, LLC, 2022 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5.5% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus 1% spent on local marketing. A marketing fund of up to 3% may be added. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Up to 3% of gross sales. |
| Renewal Fee | $2,500 |
| Local Advertising Requirement | 1% of total Gross Sales, which we may increase up to 3% |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Three Dog Bakery, LLC, 2022 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 11–12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Three Dog Bakery publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $538,900
Yearly figures for 2021, covering bakeries open all of fiscal 2021 (33 locations). The filing gives an average for each third rather than one overall figure; this is the overall average worked out from those and each one's number of locations. The average is about 1.6 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Three Dog Bakery, LLC, 2022 filing, pages 47–48
SBA loans to Three Dog Bakery franchisees
Lenders approved 16 SBA 7(a) loans for Three Dog Bakery franchisees from 2013 to 2022, $3.01M in all. Of the 12 that have ended, 11 were paid in full and 1 was charged off. The other 4 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2021 / 2019–2021. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Three Dog Bakery | Typical pet brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +5.7% / −2.6% | +2.1% / +50% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 5.7% / 26% | 3.6% / 11% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical pet brand is the median of the 27 brands in pet franchises with three years of counts.
How Three Dog Bakery compares
Of the 88 pet franchises on this site, Three Dog Bakery is the 54th cheapest to open and the 27th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Three Dog Bakery | Typical pet brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $286K | $198K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $405K | $434K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5.5% | 6.5% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $539K | $584K | $794K |
| US locations | 40 | 12 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 71 of 88 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 88 brands in pet franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 42 (+4) | 2 | +5 | −1 |
| 2020 | 35 (−7) | 2 | 0 | −7 |
| 2021 | 37 (+2) | 3 | +4 | −2 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: Three Dog Bakery, LLC, 2022 filing, page 49
Where Three Dog Bakery locations are
At the end of 2021, Three Dog Bakery had locations in 19 states. The most are in Texas, Indiana and Missouri.
- Texas7
- Indiana3
- Missouri3
- Ohio3
- Oklahoma3
- Pennsylvania3
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Indiana | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Missouri | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Ohio | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| California | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Florida | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Kansas | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Michigan | 2 | 0 | 2 |
All 19 states
| Tennessee | 2 |
|---|---|
| Arkansas | 1 |
| Colorado | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 |
| Kentucky | 1 |
| Minnesota | 1 |
| Nevada | 1 |
| New Mexico | 1 |
| North Dakota | 1 |
Source: Three Dog Bakery, LLC, 2022 filing, page 50
Who owns Three Dog Bakery?
Three Dog Bakery franchises are sold by Three Dog Bakery, LLC.
From Three Dog Bakery, LLC’s 2022 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Three Dog Bakery, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Three Dog Bakery filings
The figures on this page come from Three Dog Bakery, LLC’s 2022 filing, issued April 22, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | April 22, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other pet franchises
All pet franchises
Three Dog Bakery is also on these lists: bakery franchises, retail franchises.