Estimated pre-tax owner-operator benefit per U.S. territory: approximately a $38,000 operating loss in the Conservative scenario, a $12,000 operating loss in the Base scenario, and $75,000 of positive benefit in the Upside scenario. The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document reports revenue, not owner profit, so these are independent estimates rather than franchisor-reported earnings.
Independent estimate disclosure. This range is an analytical scenario, not an Item 19 financial performance representation by DoodyCalls Franchising SPE LLC. It combines identified facts from the 2026 FDD with separately identified IRS operating-cost data, a BLS manager-wage benchmark, and explicit overlap assumptions. Actual results can differ materially because of territory age, customer density, sales mix, labor, vehicle costs, local marketing execution, fee terms, financing, owner involvement, and operating discipline.
How much may a DoodyCalls owner earn annually?
The strongest defensible answer is a scenario-based owner-operator range of approximately −$38,000 to $75,000 per territory, with a Base result of approximately −$12,000. This is a current-offer analytical estimate using 2025 Item 19 revenue anchors; it is not an official owner-income disclosure.
The result changes sharply with revenue. The FDD’s official median Gross Revenue per territory was $112,621, while its top-quartile median was $457,997. Fixed and minimum recurring obligations consume a much larger share of a low-revenue territory than a high-revenue territory.
Evidence confidence is limited because Item 19 measures Gross Revenue rather than owner earnings, and the operating-cost model depends materially on a broad government industry benchmark and assumptions about expense overlap.
Per territory, pre-tax, before financing principal; rounded.
All 107 full-year reporting territories in fiscal 2025.
The average is nearly twice the median, indicating a skewed distribution.
Per owner entity, not per territory; some franchisees held multiple territories.
Operated by 65 franchisees during the entire 2025 fiscal year.
7.5% royalty, 1.5% Brand Fund, 5% Sales Support Center, plus $36,000 local marketing and $1,200 technology; the royalty floor can be higher.
What does the 2026 Item 19 actually measure?
Item 19 officially measures Gross Revenue, not business profit or owner take-home pay. The applicable population is 65 franchisees operating 107 territories for the full fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.
The FDD defines Gross Revenue broadly as revenue and other income related to the franchised business, less bona fide customer refunds. It is not reduced by royalties, advertising, wages, vehicle costs, insurance, supplies, financing costs, or personal taxes.
| 2025 territory group | Territories | Average Gross Revenue | Median Gross Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 25% | 39 | $409,605 | $457,997 |
| Second quartile | 26 | $185,109 | $156,407 |
| Third quartile | 22 | $90,994 | $91,235 |
| Bottom 25% | 20 | $48,845 | $53,460 |
| All reporting territories | 107 | $222,114 | $112,621 |
The official $222,114 average territory figure should not be described as owner income, salary, profit, return on investment, or take-home pay. The median is substantially lower, and the current offer includes large fixed and minimum recurring obligations.
FDD source: 2026 DoodyCalls Franchise Disclosure Document, Item 19, pp. 62–65. The official franchise site also publishes the 2025 average revenue figures on its DoodyCalls investment information page.
The full-year tables exclude 22 franchisees representing 22 territories that opened during 2025, two franchisees representing two territories that ceased operations during the year, and one franchisee representing one territory that did not report a full 12 months. Company-operated outlets were excluded. Item 20 reported 91 franchisees and 134 franchised territories operating at December 31, 2025.
How was the owner-operator earnings estimate built?
The estimate is derived, not official. It anchors revenue to the FDD’s territory distribution, subtracts an IRS-based operating-cost proxy, subtracts current disclosed recurring charges, and adds back only the modeled portion of potential expense overlap.
Which revenue and cost assumptions were used?
The revenue anchors are official 2025 FDD values. The cost ratios are analytical assumptions derived from the IRS 2023 nonfarm sole-proprietorship income statement for NAICS 812, Personal and Laundry Services. The Census Bureau places pet care services within NAICS 812910, but the IRS table is broader than pet waste removal.
- Conservative: $53,460 revenue, equal to the bottom-quartile territory median; 74.00% other operating-cost ratio; no overlap add-back.
- Base: $112,621 revenue, equal to the overall territory median; 69.69% other operating-cost ratio; $9,000 overlap add-back.
- Upside: $457,997 revenue, equal to the top-quartile territory median; 65.38% other operating-cost ratio; $18,000 overlap add-back.
The IRS table reports total deductions equal to approximately 75.62% of receipts for NAICS 812 sole proprietorships. Advertising represented approximately 1.61% of receipts and was removed because the current FDD separately requires $36,000 of annual local marketing. “Other business expenses” represented approximately 8.62% of receipts; the three scenarios retain all, half, or none of that category to test potential overlap with royalty, brand, technology, support-center, and related franchise costs.
| Scenario | Revenue anchor | IRS-based costs | FDD-controlled charges | Overlap add-back | Owner-operator benefit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | $53,460 | $39,600 | $51,500 | $0 | −$37,600 |
| Base | $112,621 | $78,500 | $55,300 | +$9,000 | −$12,200 |
| Upside | $457,997 | $299,400 | $101,300 | +$18,000 | $75,200 |
Values are rounded to the nearest $100 after full-precision calculations. The model uses the first-year annualized minimum royalty of $10,800 as the lower current-offer floor; it is not a first-year sales forecast.
Estimated annual pre-tax owner-operator benefit per territory, rounded to the nearest $1,000.
Interpretation: only the Upside territory-revenue anchor produces a clearly positive owner-operator benefit under the modeled current-offer costs. Applying the Base cost assumptions to the official $222,114 average territory revenue produces approximately $8,000 of owner-operator benefit.
Sources: 2026 FDD Item 19, pp. 62–65; Item 6, pp. 12–23; IRS 2023 nonfarm sole-proprietorship income statements. See the IRS nonfarm sole-proprietorship statistics.
Which current fees have the largest effect on earnings?
The largest disclosed earnings constraints are the $36,000 annual local marketing requirement, the royalty minimum schedule, and the combined 6.5% Brand Fund and Sales Support Center charges in addition to royalty. These are official current-offer terms from Item 6.
| Recurring obligation | Current amount | Scenario treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Royalty Fee | Greater of 7.5% of Gross Revenue or the applicable monthly minimum | Greater of 7.5% or $10,800 annualized first-year floor |
| Brand Fund Contribution | Currently 1.5% of Gross Revenue; may rise to 2% | 1.5% of scenario revenue |
| Sales Support Center Fee | Currently 5% of Gross Revenue; may rise under the stated cap | 5% of scenario revenue |
| Annual Local Marketing Spend | $36,000 per calendar year | Full cash obligation; $0, $9,000, or $18,000 modeled overlap add-back |
| Website Fee | $350 per month | Counted within the $36,000 local marketing requirement, not added again |
| Technology Fee | Currently $100 per month | $1,200 annually |
Why does the royalty minimum matter so much?
The royalty floor increases with the Original Opening Date even when 7.5% of Gross Revenue would be lower. For a territory near the official median, the minimum can become a dominant expense as the agreement ages.
| Months after Original Opening Date | Monthly minimum royalty | Annualized amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1–12 | $900 | $10,800 |
| 13–24 | $1,875 | $22,500 |
| 25–36 | $3,375 | $40,500 |
| 37–48 | $4,875 | $58,500 |
| 49–60 | $6,000 | $72,000 |
| Month 109 through expiration | $7,875 | $94,500 |
The scenario range uses the lowest annualized royalty floor, $10,800. Later minimums would reduce estimated owner benefit whenever the floor exceeds 7.5% of Gross Revenue. This makes the published range more optimistic than a later-year scenario for a low-revenue territory.
What does the Base revenue-to-owner-benefit bridge show?
The Base bridge produces an estimated −$12,200 owner-operator result at the official $112,621 median territory revenue. It includes broad operating costs, current recurring fees, and a $9,000 overlap adjustment.
| Base scenario bridge | Amount | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Revenue | $112,621 | Official 2025 all-territory median |
| IRS-based operating costs | −$78,500 | 69.69% analytical cost ratio |
| FDD-controlled recurring charges | −$55,300 | Royalty, Brand Fund, Sales Support Center, local marketing, and technology |
| Expense-overlap adjustment | +$9,000 | Half of the FDD’s potential $18,000 staffing/acquisition allocation |
| Estimated owner-operator benefit | −$12,200 | Pre-tax; before financing principal |
How does owner involvement change the result?
Owner involvement changes the economics materially. Item 15 allows the owner to serve as the Key Person responsible for day-to-day performance; when an owner does not serve as Key Person, the General Manager must fill that role. The owner-operator scenarios therefore include the value of the owner’s labor, while the manager-run scenarios deduct a replacement-manager wage.
- Owner-operator benefit
- Residual operating result plus the economic value of work performed by the owner. It is not passive profit and it is not an owner salary disclosed by the franchisor.
- Manager-run residual
- Owner-operator benefit less an annual $81,610 replacement-manager wage assumption. This remains before financing principal and personal income taxes.
- Wage benchmark
- BLS May 2023 annual mean wage for General and Operations Managers in NAICS 812000, Personal and Laundry Services. Employer payroll taxes and benefits are not added, making the manager-run result optimistic.
Owner-operator benefit versus manager-run residual, annual dollars per territory.
Interpretation: the modeled single-territory manager-run residual remains negative in all three scenarios. This does not prove that manager-run ownership cannot work; it shows that a paid General Manager requires greater revenue, lower costs, shared multi-territory overhead, or some combination of those factors.
Sources: 2026 FDD Item 15, p. 54; BLS May 2023 wage estimates for NAICS 812000.
Calling the owner-operated result “profit” would overstate passive economics. Part of the amount compensates the owner for acting as Key Person or General Manager. Conversely, a manager-run model must fund management compensation before the owner receives residual business profit.
What uncertainty has the greatest effect on a reasonable range?
The largest uncertainty is whether the current 2026 fee schedule maps cleanly to the 2025 reporting cohort. Item 19 includes existing franchisees and territories, while the current offer may contain fee terms and minimums that differ from older agreements represented in the revenue tables.
- Agreement vintage: the FDD does not segment Item 19 revenue by contract form, royalty floor, or territory age.
- Cost proxy breadth: IRS NAICS 812 includes multiple personal and laundry service businesses, not only mobile pet waste removal.
- Route economics: the FDD does not disclose customer count, route density, visit frequency, technician hours, mileage, vehicle count, or residential-commercial mix.
- Marketing overlap: up to $18,000 of the required annual local marketing spend may be directed toward commercial business development staffing or an approved acquisition. The exact overlap with payroll or acquisition costs is operator-specific.
- Manager cost: the BLS wage is a national industry mean from 2023 and excludes local wage variation, payroll taxes, and benefits.
- Multi-territory ownership: the FDD reports per-franchisee revenue, but owner earnings cannot be multiplied mechanically because fees, ramp-up, managers, vehicles, and shared overhead vary by territory.
Interest and depreciation are embedded in the IRS cost proxy. Financing principal payments, new capital expenditures, and personal income taxes are excluded. The analysis does not calculate after-tax take-home pay.
What should a buyer verify before relying on this range?
A buyer should treat the range as a screening model and verify the underlying economics directly. The most useful evidence will be current-agreement franchisee profit-and-loss statements matched to territory count, territory age, and owner role.
- Request the written substantiation supporting Item 19 and confirm how each reporting territory was assigned to a quartile.
- Ask for revenue and expense examples from franchisees operating under the April 28, 2026 agreement or materially identical fee terms.
- Confirm whether every recurring fee and minimum royalty applies independently to each territory in the proposed development structure.
- Verify the exact treatment of the $36,000 local marketing requirement, including the website fee and the potential $18,000 staffing or acquisition allocation.
- Ask franchisees to separate owner hours, technician payroll, General Manager pay, vehicle expense, insurance, supplies, and customer-acquisition cost.
- Compare single-territory and multi-territory P&Ls without assuming that revenue or owner benefit scales linearly.
- Document any earnings statement made outside Item 19 and compare it with the franchisor’s written substantiation.
What is the most defensible earnings takeaway?
The strongest defensible range is approximately −$38,000 to $75,000 of annual owner-operator benefit per territory, with a Base estimate of approximately −$12,000. It is scenario-based, not official, and carries limited confidence because the FDD discloses Gross Revenue rather than profit.
The most important earnings driver is territory revenue relative to the fixed $36,000 local marketing obligation and the escalating minimum royalty. The largest unresolved uncertainty is the compatibility of current 2026 offer terms with the existing territories represented in the 2025 Item 19 cohort.
A buyer should verify Item 19 substantiation, current-agreement fee application, and franchisee P&Ls that separate owner labor from residual business profit. That evidence is necessary before treating any revenue figure as an owner-income estimate.