21 Reasons A Dog Is the Best Investment You Will Ever Make

Did you have a long week? You've made it to Friday and you're almost to that final commute home for the week. When you get home, you'll walk in the house, look in the fridge, decide that you'd rather order takeout than put anything in a pan before you sit down on the sofa and turn off your brain until you climb the stairs to bed. Week after week this has been your routine.

Maybe it's time to shake things up. Maybe it's time to invest.

The Huffington Post has 21 reasons why that investment should be a dog, and we couldn't agree more.

Click HERE to learn why. 

Separation Anxiety

It's sad to think the pets that bring us so much happiness could ever feel blue. 

However, Veterinarian clinics report that approximately 14% of dogs seen are suspected to suffer from separation anxiety. Since canines are naturally social animals, it's no surprise that many develop increased attachment behavior to their human family members.The onset of these problems often coincide when there is a dramatic change in the amount of time the owner spends with a pet. Symptoms of separation anxiety can include increased activities like restlessness, pacing, and whining when the owner is not present. Depression and physiological changes such as panting or even vomiting can occur. But short of never leaving your pet's side, how can you avoid increased anxieties in your furry friend?

Professionals report that medications should only be used in extreme cases, and there are many things owners can do to avoid serious situations. Ignoring attention seeking behaviors such as whining and nudging during training is important. Certain departure cues such as picking up keys and purses, or putting on coats and shoes should also be kept as low key as possible or even done in a different room until a pet is desensitized to these cues. Creating a big to-do when leaving a dog at home is common in humans, but this can increase the likeliness of anxieties in pets. 

Upon returning, you of course want to play with your dog immediately, but it can be very helpful to wait until your pet has calmed down a bit to begin playtime. 

K9 Resorts' Doggie Daycare is a “cage-free” environment, designed for dogs that are social with other dogs. Daycare provides an outlet to expend excess energy, socialize, exercise and remain active. Dogs are social animals that need exercise and stimulation, and Doggie Daycare is the best way to provide both! While it is just great fun, this exercise helps curb behavior problems like separation anxiety. Consider bringing your dog to our Doggie Daycare and see if it helps with those canine blues!

Pets a Threat to Gadgets?

TIME recently reported that pets may be a threat to the safety and longevity of your gadgets. Is anyone surprised? Most of you probably have a story of at least a close-call between your dog and an iPad or cell phone.

Eight million electronic devices are harmed by pets each year according to a study sponsored by SquareTrade Inc, a San Francisco company that sells extended warranty plans for consumer electronics. Since you've probably been through several in the past year regardless of your pet's involvement, you won't be surprised to hear that mobiles make up one-third of all devices vandalized by furry friends.

SquareTrade made a few more interesting finds:

• Incidents happened 66% of the time when pets were left alone with the devices in question.
• 17% of the incidents happened when owners believed their pets were "angry" with them.
• Males pets were 50% more likely to damage a device than female pets. 
• Overprotective pets were twice as likely to damage a device. 

Of course, SquareTrade wants you to buy an extended warranty, so their stats include even a lick from your pet, but the study does remind pet owners to be a little more careful with their electronic devices. 

An Unlikely Group

At K9 Resorts, we pride ourselves in being able to accommodate any sized dog with equal love and care, from Great Danes to Chihuahuas. We thought we had seen it all until we came across this video on YouTube of one of the most diverse groups of pets we've ever seen. Sure, a large breed and small breed are not so uncommon in a house. Five dogs? Sure, a little more uncommon, but still not an unheard of mix. Even adding an aloof cat to the group is understandable. Throw in a duck who responds to his name just as alertly as the canines, and suddenly, we're speechless.

Check out this video from Erica Griffith who writes about her pets:

Macho - 8 Year old Toy Xolo

Rex - 11 Year old terrier something

Maya - 7-10 Year old Intermediate Xolo

Dave - 3 Year old standard size Xolo

Bella - 1.5 Year old Harlequin Great Dane

George - 1 Year old female Moscovy Duck

Twiggy - 5 year old Cat

If you are thinking about adding a pet (or another pet) to your family, please look into adoption from either a shelter or a reputable rescue group. You can find lots of animals and rescue groups that will fit exactly what you're looking for at petfinder.com That's what I did :)

Franchisee Spotlight: Bill Ippolito

Bill Ippolito is a New Jersey native with a background in medicine. Having been a physician assistant for the past 10 years, Bill has now transitioned into the corporate world, where he has decided to open a K-9 Resorts Daycare & Luxury Hotel in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Bill is lifelong dog owner and new a dad.  

How did you learn about the brand?

My girlfriend’s (Larisa Citsay- who will be helping me run the business) brother is friends with Jason and Steven Parker, the co-founders of K-9 Resorts.  Their entrepreneurial accomplishments at such a young age really inspired me to invest in opening my own K-9 Resorts.

What was appealing to you about joining a franchise system?

I am currently a physician assistant, so the business world is somewhat new to me. I knew as a franchisee owner, I would get great help with the process and have instant support on day one and well into the future. 

What makes your business different?

K-9 Resorts Daycare & Luxury Hotel is a very well organized and clean facility. Cleanliness is very important for pet owners. K-9 Resorts doesn’t have a distinct pet odor, is incredibly clean and runs efficiently. It is the perfect option for people who need a safe, comfortable place to leave their pets. K-9 Resorts is also a very young franchise, and I am very confident that it will be successful. I thought it would be best to get in early and help them grow.

I have also been a physician assistant for the past 10 years and decided to do something I was truly passionate about.  The career change is an exciting adventure.

What are your expansion or development plans?

Once we open this location, I would love to be able to open a second location in the near future. I am confident in success of this business.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions?

I love dogs. I grew up with a yellow lab and now I have a 5 year old Rottweiler. I am also a new dad! I have a 9 month old son, who consumes a lot of my time. I also enjoy exercising, sports and cars.  

Middletown Grand Opening

K9 Resorts in Middletown, New Jersey will be holding its Grand Opening this Sunday, June 9. The newest K9 Resorts is located at 889 Route 25.

Please join owners Dan and Lisa Cody from 12 p.m. until 3 p.m. to tour the new facility and meet the team. However, if you are unable to attend the Grand Opening, feel free to call the location to schedule a tour for any other day of the week during business hours by calling 732-671-0948.

Click HERE for more information about the Middletown location, including business hours and detailed directions.

Franchisee Spotlight: Andy and Darcie Lubalin

Born and raised in Long Island, New York, Andy Lubalin went to Penn State University earning a degree in economics, with a minor in business administration in 1995. He met his wife Darcie at college and they relocated back to New Jersey. He worked at Hertz Equipment Rental for two years. Andy then worked for 15 years as a consultant at CSC Corporation as a Software Developer, and ended up as a Business Manager assigned to a major brokerage firm. His job duties required a lot of travel, to the point where he would be gone weeks at a time and missed the first moments of his kids’ lives. 

Having known K-9 Resorts’ founders Steven and Jason Parker when they were neighborhood dog sitters back in the day, Andy’s passion led him to K-9 and is the first franchisee in the network. As the #1 rated pet care service in all of New Jersey, Andy couldn’t be happier. Andy and Darcie live about a mile from the original K-9 store and became owners because of their high admiration of the franchise and its genuine line of work.

How did you learn about the brand?

Andy: It’s been three years in the making. I knew I wanted to work with dogs when I was going through my career transition and came back to K-9 when I made the decision to make a change.  I signed in the summer of 2011 and it took a full year to find the best location when we found it in the summer of 2012.

Jason Parker: Andy is our first franchisee, so this is very much our first rodeo working out the kinks to find the right location. We went through a bit of a challenge at first, but found a really good location advisor. Working with Larry Barto has been great. We have 13 locations including this one. This will be the first franchise location, with the original corporate location opening in 2005.

Why did you choose an opportunity with K-9 Resorts?

I’ve known the Parkers since they were in high school. We moved into the area, and they were our dog walkers, so I had the history with them. Their level of customer service was through the roof, especially for kids that age. They understood the value of relationships so I always had a positive opinion of them.

Five years went by and I knew they had since opened K-9 Resorts but had yet to take a tour. After doing the tour, I went in to meet with them and knew it was the right fit for me. It was immaculate. I didn't smell anything, didn't hear anything. Plus, I feel we saw eye-to-eye on life and the big picture, so the corporate culture was the icing on the cake.

Describe the location and demographics of the area.

The location is in a high income, densely populated area with a high pet index. The national average is a score of 100, but in this area, it’s nearly 300. In addition, the location on Bloomfield Avenue happens to be next to the only 24-hour animal emergency hospital in the area.

Are you involved with any charities or do any community outreach with your business?

We just served as the largest sponsor for the Dress for Success's Ad Journal, an organization that helps women in difficult situations get back on their feet.

Jason: We reserve a certain portion of money per year for philanthropy and support in the community; that is something the brand as a whole believes in.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?

There’s a certain stigma that boarding rooms are loud, smelly and dirty. On some level, this is true, so part of our job is to educate people on great places such as K-9 that do have state-of-the-art materials and are really clean.

How many employees will you have when you start out?

We will have four up-front and four in the back.

What are your expansion or development plans? What is your end goal with K-9 Resorts?

It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that we will expand. We have a location, but I can’t think about that until at least after this summer because I have to show this is going to be a money maker.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions?

I have two kids so enjoy coaching my kids’ and being with my family. I enjoy playing sports myself.