Rover’s patent-pending dog poo carrier. (Rover Photo)

Seattle-based company Rover is expanding beyond its pet sitting marketplace with a new line of consumer products.

The initial Rover Gear products include a no-pull dog harness ($32.99), a padded leash ($29.99), and “Bag Buddy” ($9.99) — a patent-pending hands-free carrier for dog poop bags.

Founded in 2011, Rover is the leading platform for facilitating matches between pet owners and sitters. It previously expanded beyond its core business with a grooming service, which shut down in 2021.

Rover will compete with a number of other pet product companies with the rollout of Rover Gear (and it isn’t the first Seattle-born attempt at dog poop carriers). The company said it consulted with pet experts, pet parents and its large network of dog walkers to create the new gear.

The products were designed in Seattle, while the materials are sourced or assembled in China. Rover Gear was developed over the span of about 18 months by an all-female product and design team.

“We saw an opportunity in the pet product space for walking gear that is thoughtfully designed and puts the wellbeing of pets at the forefront,” Lara Bain, merchandising and product expert at Rover, said in a statement.

Rover will look to capitalize on the rise of pet-care spending in the U.S. From 2013 to 2021, the average annual household spending on pets rose from $460 to $770, up 67% for the eight years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Rover’s new no-pull dog harness. (Rover Photo)

Rover, hatched a decade ago at a Startup Weekend event in Seattle, went public in 2021 via a SPAC deal, and reported $174 million in revenue last year, up 58% from 2021. Rover’s stock has lost more than half its value since going public amid the larger tech downturn.

A company spokesperson said revenue from Rover Gear represents an “immaterial amount” of the company’s 2023 guidance. Rover said last week that it expects full-year revenue of $205-to-$215 million in 2023.

Rover operates in 10 countries and is betting on international expansion to fuel growth. Last year the company’s total bookings increased to 5.6 million, up 32% year-over-year. Net loss came in at $22.0 million, an improvement from $64 million the year prior.

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