1851

Having known <a href="http://www.k9franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=all-star-franchisees-andy-lubalin-of-k-9-resorts-daycare-and-luxury-hotel-5687" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">K-9 Resorts Daycare and Luxury Hotel</a> founders Steven and Jason Parker since they were neighborhood dog sitters before the doggie daycare concept had even formed, Andy Lubalin&#8217;s desire to follow the Parker brothers&#8217; path into the pet care industry was in the back of his mind from the start of his career. Andy attended Penn State University and earned a degree in economics with a minor in business administration. He then worked for 15 years in software development, and business was thriving. However, Andy&#8217;s job duties required a significant amount of travel, to the point where he would be gone for weeks at a time and was missing big moments in his wife and kids&#8217; lives. Like many people who decide to start their own businesses, Andy&#8217;s excessive travel and corporate life made him want to become his own boss and chase his true passion in life: taking care of dogs. Andy&#8217;s desire for the industry ultimately led him to become the very first franchisee in the K-9 Resorts network. We had the chance to catch up with Andy to find out more about how he&#8217;s doing and why he chose K-9 Resorts. Why did you pick K-9 Resorts?<div>I&#8217;ve always been a big dog person, so I knew I wanted to work with dogs when I was going through my career transition. I&#8217;ve known the Parkers since high school, and they were actually our dog walkers. Their customer service was through the roof, especially for being just 12 and 14 year old kids. They understood the value of relationships, so I always had a positive opinion of them. </div> Five years had gone by since they opened K-9 Resorts, but I had yet to take a tour. When I began looking into a career transition, I went on the tour and met with the Parkers afterward. I knew right away that it was the perfect fit for me. The facility I toured was immaculate. I didn&#8217;t smell anything, didn&#8217;t hear anything. Plus, I felt like we saw eye-to-eye on life and the big picture, so the corporate culture was the icing on the cake. <p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">What was your perspective about franchising prior to joining?<div>I had no perspective at all! My goal wasn&#8217;t necessarily to franchise &#8211; it was to get into the pet care business. So, I toured the K-9 Resorts facility and was immediately impressed with it. No other pet care facilities that I&#8217;d toured even came close to what K-9 had to offer. I was in awe of how clean and quiet it was, and the dogs just seemed so happy. It was a place I wanted to spend my days.</div> <p style="font-style: normal; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">I asked the Parkers if they would consider consulting me on how to open my own pet care business. They essentially said, &#8220;Funny you should ask,&#8221; and told me that they decided to start franchising and therefore couldn&#8217;t consult. They asked if I would think about opening the first franchise instead. That&#8217;s when I did all my research on the franchising industry. What initially led me to the Parkers was that I wanted a consultant &#8211; but, I quickly realized I wanted that because I wanted to gain insights on what they&#8217;ve already learned through their experience, and that is exactly what franchising is. <p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">What is the top thing you think people don't understand about franchising? <p style="font-style: normal; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">It&#8217;s hard for me to say because I was the brand&#8217;s very first franchisee, so I didn&#8217;t get the same benefits as someone might get later down the road. They already had a proven system of one location, but I knew I would still be making a few mistakes on the Parkers&#8217; behalf. As the very first franchisee, I wasn&#8217;t starting with the same brand name recognition, so I wasn&#8217;t going to start with the same profits right off the bat. <p style="font-style: normal; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">The number one thing to understand when deciding to franchise is while you are your own boss, it&#8217;s not your system. The franchisor owns the system. You have ideas, and hopefully you&#8217;ve chosen a franchise that&#8217;s willing to accept new ideas, but ultimately they already have a proven system that you need to stick by. <p style="font-style: normal; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">I knew this concept was their baby. I knew I would be spending more money by being the very first franchisee, but I also knew that eventually being able to say &#8220;I was the first one&#8221; would make me proud for taking the risk. <p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">How has being a franchisee changed your life? <p style="font-style: normal; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">I&#8217;m both busier and freer at the same time. For instance, I can go see my son play baseball whenever I want, and if I want to take off for the World Cup soccer game (which I did!), then I&#8217;m free to do that. But while I have those temporary freedoms, I&#8217;m still working 365 days/year, on vacation, when an employee gets sick and so on. At the same time, I know every single dog that comes into our facility &#8211; that&#8217;s more than 1,000 dogs that I know by name. It&#8217;s truly a passion of mine, and I couldn&#8217;t be happier with my decision. <p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">What types of other brands did you look at? <p style="font-style: normal; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">I only looked into pet care brands because that&#8217;s the industry I wanted to join. I toured facilities such as Dogtopia and Camp Bow Wow, but nothing I looked at came remotely close to what K-9 Resorts offers. I hated seeing warehouses, chain link fences and ultimately, unhappy dogs. I ended up choosing K-9 Resorts because not only was it the best, truly cage-free daycare, but I also didn&#8217;t want to compete against this brand that I grew to love in my research. <p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Why should someone buy K-9 Resorts? <p style="font-style: normal; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: white; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">My advice for someone looking to buy a franchise is to look for a product that is superior. No matter what industry you&#8217;re in, if your concept isn&#8217;t always improving and trying to be the very best, someone else will come along and do it better. K-9 Resorts is honestly incomparable to anything else &#8211; our cleanliness, level of honesty and customer service blows everyone away. If someone opened the exact same facility right next door to me, I wouldn&#8217;t worry one bit. That&#8217;s how confident I am in our concept. &nbsp;<div>Visit the International Franchise Association's <a href="https://atourfranchise.org/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=all-star-franchisees-andy-lubalin-of-k-9-resorts-daycare-and-luxury-hotel-5687" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@Our Franchise website</a> for more stories of passionate local franchise owners, employees and their communities.&nbsp;</div>

1851 Franchise

As The Very First K-9 Resorts Franchisee, Andy Lubalin Has Chased His Passion For Pets And Helped Grow The Luxury Brand Name.

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

All-Star Franchisees: Andy Lubalin of K-9 Resorts Daycare and Luxury Hotel 

all-star-franchisees-andy-lubalin-of-k-9-resorts-daycare-and-luxury-hotel

Right at Home

Veterans, Army, Navy, Right at Home franchisees, Veterans Day

Veterans Excel as Right at Home Franchisees: Here's Why

veterans-in-franchising-right-at-home-success

The Cleaning Authority

Why This Corporate McDonald’s Rep Decided To Open His Own Franchise With The Cleaning Authority

cleaning-authority/kent-lewis-franchise-success

KidStrong Franchising, LLC

KidStrong Wraps Up Q3 With First Manhattan Location, 45 New Franchises and Record-High Attendance

kidstrong-q3-growth-2025

Woodhouse Spas

Photo of front lobby area of Woodhouse Spa

Why Woodhouse Has No True Competitor in the Spa Franchise Space

luxury-spa-franchise

Right at Home Expanding In-Home Care Services in Wausau, Wisconsin 

right-at-home-expanding-in-home-care-services-in-wausau-wisconsin

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Photo of Happinest Brands teams standing together in front of branded vehicles

Happinest Brands Continues Strong 2025 Trajectory With Major Q3 Growth and Strategic Wins

happinest-brands-q3-franchise-growth

Franchise Owners Step Up To Support Communities During Government Shutdown - 1851 Franchise

Franchise Owners Step Up To Support Communities During Government Shutdown

franchise-community-support-shutdown

Slim Chickens Opens R&D Center at World Headquarters To Drive Menu Innovation

slim-chickens-rd-center-fayetteville

Nearly 40% of Americans Are Eating Out Less as High Prices Redefine Dining Habits

nearly-40-of-americans-are-eating-out-less-as-high-prices-redefine-dining-habits

Authority Brands Enters Q4 with Record Momentum

Authority Brands Enters Q4 with Record Momentum, Surpassing 200 New Franchise Owners in the First 10 Months of 2025

authority-brands-enters-q4-with-record-momentum-surpassing-200-new-franchise-owners-in-the-first-10-months-of-2025

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

image  of Happinest franchise collection and all their brands that work together. 

The Happinest Advantage: A Marketing Partner Invested in Your Bottom Line

happinest-franchise-marketing-strategy

Coffee & analytics image with photo of Nick Powills

Athletes And Franchising: Why the Connection Runs Deep

athletes-in-franchising

The Shift From Founder to Franchisor: Building a Team, Culture and System That Scale

the-shift-from-founder-to-franchisor-building-a-team-culture-and-system-that-scale

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

Photo of group of dogs standing together in day care facility

Top Pet Boarding and Day Care Franchise Opportunities for 2025

top-pet-boarding-daycare-franchises

NJCAR v. Ford - New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

new-jersey-franchise-practices-act-njcar-v-ford

image of michael panos and michel panos, owners of mellow mushroom in Atlanta

The Panos Family’s Role in Preserving Mellow Mushroom’s Character — and Expanding in Atlanta

mellow-mushroom-franchise-panos-restaurant-group-metro-atlanta

image of franchise deep dive from 1851 franchise on doody calls franchise authority brands

DoodyCalls Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

doodycalls-franchise-deep-dive

All-Star Franchisees: Andy Lubalin of K-9 Resorts Daycare and Luxury Hotel

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS