Dan Wheeler: How Do You Manage Brand Reputation, and What Role, if Any, Do Your Franchisees Play in it?

For us at K9 Resorts, brand reputation is built one dog, one pet parent, and one interaction at a time. I’ve always believed you can’t spin your way into a great reputation. You have to earn it.

That is especially true in pet care. Owners are trusting us with a family member, so empathy, consistency, and transparency are really important. At the brand level, our job is to set clear expectations about what K9 Resorts stands for: safety, cleanliness, expertise, and genuine loving care.

That shows up in everything from our wellness programming and facility design to staff training and guest communications. Actively monitoring reviews, social feedback, and guest sentiment helps us identify patterns and opportunities to continually improve that experience across the system. That said, franchisees play the most important role in protecting and strengthening the brand.

They’re the face of K9 Resorts in their communities. They greet the pet parents, take care of their pups, and create the day-to-day moments that ultimately define how the brand is perceived. And just as a great national brand can’t compensate for a poor local experience, a great local operator can elevate the entire system.

That’s why we’re so deliberate about whom we award franchises to. We look for franchisees who genuinely care about dogs, take pride in hospitality, and are willing to follow the playbook. They need to understand the importance of gathering guest feedback and making sure they and their local team think like brand ambassadors.

That means being active in the community, responding thoughtfully to reviews (good and bad), and understanding that transparency builds trust. We’d rather acknowledge a miss and explain how we fixed it than pretend it didn’t happen. At the end of the day, brand reputation isn’t just owned by marketing.

It’s the collective responsibility of our entire system. We give our franchisees the road map, tools, and support. Their job is to deliver on K9’s brand promise.

With a national Net Promoter Score of 91, I’m incredibly proud of how they do that every single day.