Rover Starts Next Phase of European Expansion with Acquisition of Gudog and Entry Into Denmark and Ireland
LONDON, April 29, 2025, a leading online marketplace for loving pet care, today announced it has launched in Denmarkand Ireland, bringing its trusted services to millions of new pet parents. The expansion into two new countries is part of a broader growth strategy with plans to enter Switzerland, Finland, Austria, Poland, and Belgium. By the end of 2025, Rover's global footprint will include 17 countries.
Rover has also announced its acquisition of Gudog, a European-based dog sitting and walking platform founded in 2015. The Gudog network consists of 20,000 dog sitters and walkers throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The deal is expected to accelerate the roll-out of Rover's service in Denmark and Ireland and further builds on the October 2024 acquisition of cat-centric marketplace, Cat in a Flat.
"Both pet parents and care providers have embraced Rover throughout Europe with an enthusiasm that has exceeded our expectations thus far," said Brent Turner, President of Rover. "With that in mind, we are excited to introduce Rover to pet parents in Denmark and Ireland, and we could not be more pleased to welcome the Gudog community to Rover. These investments enable us to further our mission, which is to make it easier for people to experience the unconditional love of pets in their lives."
Europe is Rover's fastest growing geography for first-time customers. In 2024, European bookings represented roughly 16% of global new bookings - a number that is expected to grow for the full year 2025. While also leveraging much of its technology investments made to date, Rover expects to invest an incremental $15 million over the next five years as part of its strategy to bring its pet care services to more countries in Europe. The new markets represent an additional $6.5B of long-term opportunity.
"This is an incredible milestone in the Gudog journey. Over the last ten years our team has built and nurtured a network of pet lovers throughout Europe-one that we're exceptionally proud of," said Timothy McElroy, CEO and cofounder of Gudog. "Rover has an excellent team, deep expertise scaling its marketplace and leading reputation in the pet care space, making this transaction the natural next step in Gudog's story and we couldn't be more excited to join forces with Rover."
About the Gudog Acquisition
Led by founders Timothy McElroy and Loly Garrido, Gudog's community spans eight European countries with over one million days of services booked to date and 300,000 pet parent reviews. Terms of the Gudog deal were not disclosed. Herbert Smith Freehills LLP acted as legal counsel to Rover. CKS Finance LTD acted as financial advisor to Gudog and Philip Lee LLP acted as legal counsel to Gudog.
About Rover
Founded in 2011 and based in Seattle, Washington, Rover is the world's largest online marketplace for loving pet care. Rover's global footprint includes North America (US and Canada) and Europe, including the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and now Denmark and Ireland. Rover connects pet parents with pet care providers who offer overnight services, including boarding and in-home pet sitting, as well as daytime services, including doggy daycare, dog walking, and drop-in visits.
Rover provides unrivaled tools and support to ensure pets' safety, including access to its Trust and Safety support team. Every sitter on the platform has passed ID verification and is carefully screened by a member of our team. The Rover Guarantee can also reimburse eligible expenses up to €25,000 in reimbursement should a pet require veterinary care during a stay. Our Trust and Safety support team is available to assist with any issues. To learn more about Rover, please visit www.rover.com.
To sign up as a pet care provider, pet lovers can head to:
- Ireland: https://www.rover.com/ie/become-a-sitter/ (https://www.rover.com/ie/become-a-sitter/)
- Denmark: https://www.rover.com/dk/bliv-passer/ (https://www.rover.com/dk/bliv-passer/)
Press Contact:
pr@rover.com
