Doggie day care to open in Bethlehem Township

A Bethlehem Township couple plans to open a luxury doggie daycare and boarding facility in the township this summer. 

Costas and Deb Hrousis bought a 2.2-acre property at 3986 Township Line Road with plans to turn the former child daycare center into a K-9 Resort. 

Mike Gilbert of Lehigh Financial Group LLC helped arrange the multi-million-dollar SBA 504 loan that the couple used to buy the property and will use to renovate the 9,225-square-foot building on it. 

“We are basically gutting the entire inside of the building and we’re transforming it into the luxury boarding and daycare model that is K9 Resort,” Deb said. “Our goal is to open sometime this summer.” 

A franchise, K9 Resort is based in New Jersey. K9 Resorts offer sleeping enclosures for one to two dogs and day group play or individual play time with staff. The company said it provides comfort mat bedding and premium meals for the dogs. 

When fully operational, the couple will be able to offer overnight boarding for up to 85 dogs and doggie daycare for up to 140. 

Like many people, Deb got a dog during the pandemic. Apollo, 4, a black lab, “just loves everybody,” she said. “But he doesn’t necessarily do well in group settings.”  

Working in education, Deb was looking for a one-on-one place for Apollo at the same time she was looking for her “do-next” career. K9 came up on her internet search, and she was hooked, she said. 

Once they bought the franchise, Costas, owner of Veraxia Commercial Real Estate, found the location. 

Deb said Mike Gilbert was instrumental in getting their SBA loan to close. “He walked us through every step of the project and, whenever challenges arose, he took the stress out of it for us,” she said. “Having Mike there to help when starting a business was instrumental.” 

Gilbert expects the K9 Resort to be popular with area dog owners who wish to pamper their pets when they can’t. 

The buyers were represented by Attorney Paul Harak of Holzinger, Harak & Scomillio Law Offices in Bethlehem and the lender that funded the loan was TD Bank.