A marketplace that turns “where did you get your dog?” from an awkward question into a screened, standards-based answer.
The Front Page
Nine million dogs are brought into new homes in the United States every year, and for most families the search still begins with a search bar and a leap of faith. Good Dog, a New York company founded in 2017 by former Jet.com employees Josh Wais and Lauren McDevitt, decided that was a strange way to welcome a family member - and set out to make the process legible.
Good Dog is a two-sided marketplace. On one side are prospective owners; on the other are responsible breeders, shelters, and rescues. What sits between them is the company's real product: the first set of expert-backed, breed-by-breed standards for responsible breeding, paired with a screening team that reviews applications and runs online audits and fraud checks before anyone is listed.
The company launched publicly in 2019 alongside a $6.7M seed round, then raised a roughly $12.14M Series A in 2020, bringing total funding to about $18.8M. Backers include Felicis, Slow Ventures, BoxGroup, Fuel Capital, SV Angel, and the pet-subscription company BarkBox.
Its standards were not assembled from opinion. Good Dog says it built its breed-specific health system from health registry databases, genetic testing companies, peer-reviewed scientific journals, national breed club recommendations, and guidance from veterinary and welfare advisors - then distilled it into ratings buyers can read: Entry, Great, and Excellent.
On top of standards, Good Dog layered the machinery of a modern transaction: secure on-platform payments, an optional buyer Protection & Support plan, arranged transport to bring a puppy across the country, and lifelong access to a care team of veterinarians and behaviorists. The pitch is that the relationship starts, rather than ends, at checkout.
What It Does · Who It Serves
Connects families with screened breeders, shelters, and rescues, then rates responsible breeding and health testing so buyers can see the difference before they commit.
Prospective dog owners across the U.S. on the demand side, and responsible breeders, shelters, and rescues on the supply side - two groups that rarely shared a platform before.
The process of getting a dog is fragmented, opaque, and increasingly targeted by scammers. Good Dog adds standards, screening, and payment protection to reduce that risk.
“The first marketplace to use expert-backed vetting standards to make it simple to get a dog from a responsible breeder, shelter, or rescue.”
The Detail That Amuses And Informs
Instead of asking buyers to take a breeder's word, Good Dog tiers health testing into three readable levels. Breeders meeting entry-level requirements for their breed clear the bar; those running additional screening earn higher marks. Illustrative of how the ladder is meant to work:
Levels reflect breed-specific tests for conditions such as hip & elbow dysplasia, heart, and eye disease. Illustrative - not a precise scale.
Products & Services
Browse profiles of screened breeders, shelters, and rescues, apply, and connect directly to find available dogs.
Breed-by-breed community standards plus an application review, online audit, and fraud detection before listing.
Entry, Great, and Excellent ratings grounded in registries, genetic data, breed clubs, and scientific literature.
On-platform payments with optional Protection & Support - issue resolution and lifelong expert access.
Coordinated transport to bring a puppy from breeder to family across the country.
Lifelong access to vets and behaviorists, plus a free library on choosing and raising a dog.
How It's Different · Where It Fits
Classifieds and puppy-listing sites have existed for years. What Good Dog added was a gate: active screening, breed-specific standards, and fraud checks that keep sellers out rather than simply letting them post. In a market where trust is scarce, deciding who does not belong is the differentiator.
Competitors and alternatives range from listing sites such as PuppySpot and AKC Marketplace to rescue-focused Petfinder, local breeder referrals, and pet stores. Against them, Good Dog leans on standards, on-platform payments with buyer protection, and a lifelong care team - services designed to reduce the anxiety of an emotional, high-stakes purchase.
The company positions itself at the very first step of a $72B pet industry: the moment of getting the dog. It is the step where roughly nine million placements a year begin, and, by Good Dog's telling, the step that had been left most broken.
Not everyone is convinced. Some owners in public reviews have criticized the default inclusion of protection fees at checkout and how disputes are resolved. Good Dog counters that keeping communication and payment on-platform until a puppy goes home is precisely what makes its safety and buyer protection possible.
The Record
Josh Wais and Lauren McDevitt, both early Jet.com employees, start the company to fix how people get a dog.
The standards-based marketplace launches, backed by BoxGroup, Felicis, Slow Ventures, Fuel Capital, BarkBox, and SV Angel.
On-platform payments, health testing levels, and arranged transport arrive; total funding reaches ~$18.8M.
Good Dog expands its screened breeders, shelters, and rescues and its free Learning Center resources.
The Money
Founders
Co-Founder & CEO · former Jet.com
Co-Founder · former Jet.com
Questions People Ask
An online marketplace that helps people find and get a healthy dog from a screened, responsible breeder, shelter, or rescue, using expert-backed, breed-specific standards.
It was founded in 2017 by Josh Wais (Co-Founder & CEO) and Lauren McDevitt, both former early employees at Jet.com. It launched publicly in 2019.
Breeders apply through a questionnaire reviewed by Good Dog's screening team, which checks compliance with community standards and may run online audits and fraud detection before listing them.
Breeders are rated Entry, Great, or Excellent based on breed-specific health testing for conditions like hip and elbow dysplasia, heart, and eye disease, using registry data and scientific guidance.
Roughly $18.8M total, including a $6.7M seed round in 2019 and a ~$12.14M Series A in 2020, from investors such as Felicis, Slow Ventures, BoxGroup, and BarkBox.
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