K9 Resorts Named Top Dog by Readers of NJ Monthly

For all the 20- and 30-somethings reaping quick cash on the internet, two Scotch Plains residents have built a highly successful business the old fashioned way. Steven and Jason Parker, 26 and 23, respectively, are the co-founders and co-owners of , the "daycare and luxury hotel for dogs" on South Avenue in Fanwood. Two weeks ago, it was named the best pet services center in the state by the readers of New Jersey Monthly magazine.

"This is what I’ve wanted for a very long time," Steven said. "New Jersey Monthly is the most recognized statewide publication in New Jersey. We always thought we were the best, and the customers felt it as well. For me and Jason, it’s a tremendous honor."

The brothers' career in pet services started in 1999, when they were ages 14 and 12. With a shared love of dogs – something they did not have in common with their parents – Steven and Jason founded K9 Guardian Professional Pet-Sitting Services, a job that let them spend time with dogs and make a little cash on the side.

"We had no intention of making it a career," Steven said. 

But the venture proved lucrative – in fact, far more lucrative than the brothers ever imagined. As word spread of the Parkers' reliability and high standards, the clients piled up and the cash rolled in. 

“We had quite a following," Jason said. 

In the years that followed, the pair started to discuss taking their business to the next level: opening a brick and mortar shop that would allow them to offer a far wider range of services, ones specifically geared toward Scotch Plains and Fanwood's middle- to upper-middle income families.

"We felt a luxury hotel would be that next level,” Jason said.

In 2005, Jason and Steven decided to put their college plans on hold – as Steven put it, "to pursue [our] dream." They purchased a commercial property at 43 South Avenue, overhauled its interior to match their pet-care specifications, and soon thereafter, cut the ribbon and opened for business. 

“When we opened, I was a senior in my first semester of high school," Jason said. "In the second semester, I entered the work study program. I went to school in the morning, and I worked here in the afternoon. It taught me so much.”

If the center's awards are any indication, it certainly has. Just four years after opening, K9 Resorts was named the "Best of the Best" pet services provider by the Courier News. And from talking with the Parker brothers, touring the center and browsing the K9 Resorts website and brochure, it's easy to see why. Much like a hotel, the center offers different levels of accommodation: traditional cage boarding, "executive rooms" and "luxury suites." Each dog is guaranteed at least "two private outdoor exercise/relief sessions per day," or double that amount for about $5 more, according to the website. Prices range from $29 per day for a basic package to $73 per day for "all inclusive" luxury treatment, which can include "all day group play" with other dogs, or three private walks and two "personal playtimes" with a caretaker. 

Those caretakers, meanwhile, "have to be certified, love animals, and care about the animals in their care,” Steven said. "It's the best possible pet care a dog can have."

Starting in 2009, the brothers found a way to harness their love of dogs to benefit the Scotch Plains Police Department. By organizing comedy-night fundraisers, they  for the purchase of bulletproof vests for the township's police dogs. They also  by holding similar functions for the Fanwood PBA.

"We feel that because we are a hotel for dogs, in a place that has police dogs, we can help out the community and help dogs as well," Jason said in an August interview.

"It was excellent that the foundation's really kicked in for us," Detective Lt. Brian Donnelly, the Scotch Plains Police Department's public information officer, said in an August telephone interview. "It allows us to get equipment in these trying times."

The Parkers have also proven more than willing to share their business sense with potential future entrepreneurs. They often visit business classes at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, where they share their business experiences and insights with students. In fact, some of those high schoolers could one day become the brothers' business partners. Last week, Jason and Steven announced the opening of their first K9 Resorts franchise. The branch, opening in Livingston, will be run by Fanwood residents Andy and Darcie Lubalin, one of the Parkers' earliest clients.

"We just sold our first to one of our first customers, from way back in our dog-walking days,” Steven said. “We award franchises; we don’t sell them. We award to qualified pet owners who are business savvy and represent our business model well.” He added that he and Jason hope to have franchised 100 K9 Resorts in the tristate area by 2015.

It is likely to be an immense undertaking, but one that the Parkers are eager – and almost certainly able – to surmount. 

“We just love what we do," Steven said. 

K9 Resorts is located at 43 South Avenue in Fanwood. For reservations and information, call 908-490-0808, email fanwood@k9resorts.com or visit k9resorts.com. More information can also be found on the center's  and on its Facebook page.