Upscale care for some furry friends
K9 Resorts of Malvern offers daycare and boarding
It’s a question many dog owners face: What to do with Fido when the family goes on vacation? Or maybe there’s a pup that needs socialization or that can’t be left at home alone for long hours.
K9 Resorts Daycare & Luxury Hotel of Malvern aims to be the answer to that question.
K9 Resorts of Malvern is a 13,000-square foot luxury pet hotel in East Whiteland, specializing in overnight boarding and daycare for dogs. The facility can accommodate about 100 dogs per day and has a staff of about 25. K9 Resorts, located at 309 Lancaster Ave. in East Whiteland, opened Aug. 3.
“We like to think of it as the Ritz Carlton for our furry friends,” said Ed DeLong, who owns and operates K9 Resorts of Malvern with his wife Clair DeLong, and their son, Teddy.
K9 Resorts of Malvern offers hospital-grade air filtration systems, Italian tile, antimicrobial flooring and individual room humidifier systems, as
“They want to have their dogs a safe environment — a healthy environment — and to know that when they are away they don’t have to worry about them.”
– Ed DeLong, co-owner, K9 Resorts of Malvern
well as in-room flat screen televisions (in some units) and a lobby chandelier.
The ideal customer of K9 Resorts, according to Ed DeLong, is a family that cares for its dogs as an extension of the family.
“They want to have their dogs a safe environment — a healthy environment — and to know that when they are away they don’t have to worry about them,” DeLong said.
K9 Resorts features three different types of boarding: traditional, executive and luxury.
The traditional boarding option offers compartments geared for dogs that typically sleep in crates, according to Ed DeLong. The executive boarding areas are 5 feet by 7 feet cage-free spaces with glass privacy doors. The luxury suites are 8 feet by 8 feet and are ideal for families with multiple, pets, according to the company’s website. The suites feature floor to ceiling windows, glass privacy doors, decorations and a television tuned to animal entertainment.
The bedding in the traditional boarding com
partments is an upgraded mattress, according to Ed DeLong. The executive and luxury units feature Kuranda bedding — the “posturepedic of bedding,” he said.
As for the entertainment, Clair DeLong said K9 Resorts streams DOGTV.
The channel, according to dogtv.com, provides “dogfriendly programing scientifically developed to provide the right company for dogs when left alone.”
Cheri DeLong added that the programming is also played throughout the facility.
She added that K9 Resorts offers food for its guests that are designed for sensitive stomachs.
“It is a high quality prescription diet that’s easy to digest. A lot of dogs when they come in are stressed and worried. It helps with digestion,” she said.
If not boarding their dogs, clients can bring their dogs for doggie daycare, providing play and socialization time.
For all the guests, there are separate play areas — for small and for larger dogs. Playground areas have exercise and play equipment.
“They do not interact together in the play areas — a large dog may intimidate the smaller dogs,” Cheri De
Long said.
The outdoor play areas features a synthetic turf that is designed especially for outdoor play for dogs, according to Ed DeLong.
“It mimics actual grass, and feels like grass,” he said. It is also antimicrobial, and is disinfected regularly.
After living in Pennsylvania for a number of years, the DeLongs’ careers took them to different parts of the country, but Cheri DeLong said they were looking to come back to the tri-county region. They currently live in Newtown Square.
Cheri DeLong said they wanted a family business for them and their son Teddy DeLong, a recent graduate of Baylor University, with a degree in entrepreneurship. They quickly determined they wanted a business that dealt with animals, something Cheri DeLong said they are passionate about.
“We did a lot of research and interviewed several different franchises.” K9 Resorts, she said, “was a great fit.
9 Resorts of Malvern has a total of 13,000 square feet, although Ed DeLong said the first phase of the facility is 8,000 square feet. An additional 5,000 square feet will be expanding this winter.
Getting the facility up and running has taken a couple of years. The DeLongs signed their franchise agreement with K9 Resorts in June 2017.
Ed DeLong said the biggest challenge was finding the best location. It took the couple about a year to find their location in East Whiteland. The lease was signed in October 2018, and work began on the plans. Construction began in the February/March timeframe this year.
In terms of price, Ed DeLong said K9 Resorts of Malvern is competitive.
“The best way to describe pricing is its competitive — not the lowest but not the highest. We offer a price point that is in between,” he said, adding that there is a strong demand for boarding/daycare services.
Pet owners spent a record-breaking $72.56 billion on their pets in 2018, according to the American Pet Products Association. That figure is more than $3 billion higher than 2017.
While food is the largest category of pet spending, services — including grooming, boarding, walking, training and pet sitting accounts for $6.16 billion in 2018.
K9 Resorts was founded in New Jersey by brothers Steven and Jason Parker in 2005. K9 Resorts of Malvern is the second Pennsylvania location. The other Pennsylvania K9 Resorts is located at 658 Easton Road, Horsham.
Information about services, amenities and pricing for K9 Resorts of Malvern can be found by visiting www.k9resorts.com/ malvern/?L=true
– Clair DeLong, co-owner of K9 Resorts of Malvern
“It is a high quality prescription diet that’s easy to digest. A lot of dogs when they come in are stressed and worried. It helps with the digestion.”