We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelly Roll a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

When naming our business it was initially named after our working ranch where we offered horse boarding, we were known as the Rock’n R Ranch. When we started offering dog training, and then dog boarding from our home our friends and family would say their dog needed a Ranch-cation. When we built out our facility to have a kennel building we wanted a name that people identified with their dogs but still had the fun vacation vibe. At the time my dogs were very into disc play and we thought it would be adorable to turn the “o” in vacation into a disc to keep the fun vibe.

🐾 K9cation – Your Dog’s Ultimate Vacation Destination
K9cation is a luxurious, full-service dog resort situated on expansive ranch grounds (about 50 acres) in Colorado, with two convenient locations—Hudson/Brighton and Fort Lupton/Firestone—each under 25 minutes from Denver International Airport.
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What Makes K9cation Special
All-Inclusive Daycare & Boarding
Tailored for dogs of all energy levels, K9cation offers all-day supervised play, including access to its 50‑foot indoor pool and a 48‑foot seasonal outdoor pool, with calming glass suites designed to reduce anxiety. Food is the only item you need to bring
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Comprehensive Training & Sports Facility
Recognized as Colorado’s largest dog sport facility, K9cation offers agility courses, dock diving pools, scent‑work, tracking, rally, obedience, herding, fast cat, barn hunt, and more. Options include private lessons, group classes, board‑and‑train, and camper-training add‑ons.

Spa & Grooming Services
The on-site spa offers fear‑free exit baths, blueberry facials, lavender paw massages, full grooming, and other specialty salon treatments as optional add‑ons.
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VIP Add‑Ons & Retail Boutique
Enhance your dog’s stay with training add‑ons—such as leash walking, no‑bark cues, crate games, recall, and dog sports—and shop their Paw Bar boutique for treats, chew toys, Kurunda beds, and training gear

Leadership & Expertise
Founded by Kelly Roll, a lifelong dog trainer and canine behavior specialist with over 40 years of experience in dog sports, aggression rehabilitation, and service dog foundations. A retired senior executive from Colorado state government, Kelly built K9cation from a dream—training since age two and mentoring numerous handlers and rehabilitating challenging dogs.

Community & Events
K9cation actively collaborates with rescue organizations such as Mile High Canine Rescue, Animal Friends Alliance, and Colorado Herding Dog Rescue. Services include volunteering, foster/adoption support, and discount programs for rescue and foster dogs.

They also host dog-sport demos, training seminars, birthday parties, and venue rentals—ideal for team-building events, school programs, fundraisers, and more.

Locations & Contact Info
K9cation Hudson/Brighton: 1644 County Road 47, Hudson, CO 80642

K9cation Fort Lupton/Firestone: 10848 County Road 19, Fort Lupton, CO 80621
Serving the Denver metro area with flexible drop-off/pick-up hours and top-tier care.

K9cation stands out for its blend of luxurious resort-style boarding, high‑quality training programs, and a vibrant dog-sport community. Whether you’re looking for active daycare, behavioral rehab, competition-level sport training, or a relaxing spa experience for your dog, K9cation delivers—making it Colorado’s go-to destination for canine fun, learning, and wellness.

Kelly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been immersed in the world of dogs my entire life. I grew up on a performance Australian Shepherd ranch and began competing and training in dog sports at the age of two. That early exposure shaped my entire career and passion. Over the years, I’ve developed extensive expertise in conformation, obedience, herding, agility, and a wide range of dog sports. I’m certified by the AKC and have dedicated decades to training, behavior modification, and helping both dogs and their handlers reach their full potential.

After a long career in senior leadership within Colorado state government, I made the decision to retire from public service to pursue my lifelong passion full-time. That passion became K9cation, Colorado’s largest dog boarding, daycare, and sport facility.

At K9cation, we offer far more than a typical boarding or daycare experience. Our services include:

Resort-style boarding and all-day daycare on over 45 acres, designed to keep dogs mentally and physically enriched.

Comprehensive training programs, including board-and-train, private lessons, and group classes specializing in behavior modification, aggression rehabilitation, therapy/service dog foundations, and sport dog training.

Competition-level dog sports, such as agility, dock diving, herding, scent work, rally, and obedience.

Enrichment-based care that emphasizes safety, respect, and meeting each dog’s individual needs.

What sets us apart is our philosophy: we treat every dog as an individual, focusing on understanding their behavior and creating an environment where they can thrive. We’ve built K9cation not just as a boarding facility, but as a place where dogs can learn, play, and grow while their owners have peace of mind knowing they’re receiving top-tier care.

One of the problems we solve for our clients is bridging the gap between standard boarding and true canine enrichment. Many facilities provide basic care; we focus on behavioral well-being, structured play, and training integration so that dogs leave better than when they arrived.

I’m most proud of the transformations we see every day. From rehabilitating aggressive or fearful dogs to watching a family pet discover a love for a new sport, those success stories are what fuel my work. I’m also deeply committed to youth mentorship, teaching the next generation of dog trainers and handlers to work with compassion and skill.

The main thing I want potential clients and followers to know about K9cation is that this isn’t just a business, it’s a culmination of over 40 years of hands-on experience, a deep love of dogs, and a commitment to creating a safe, engaging, and educational environment for every canine that comes through our doors. We’ve built a community where dogs can thrive and where their owners can trust that we will treat their companions with the same respect and care we give our own.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

K9cation started from humble beginnings, with nothing more than a weekly training class and a passion for helping dogs and their owners build better relationships. What began as a small side project quickly grew into weekends packed with training classes as word spread about the results we were achieving and the supportive community we were creating.

In the early days, every spare moment and resource went back into the dream. My birthday and Christmas gifts weren’t jewelry or vacations, they were pieces of agility equipment to use in my classes. Each tunnel, jump, and contact piece was a symbol of our commitment to building something meaningful for dogs and their people.

At the time, my husband and I were both working full-time jobs, balancing long hours and opposite schedules—he was on call and working nights—yet we still carved out time to work side by side on what would eventually become K9cation. Through countless late nights, early mornings, and small bootstrapping steps, we transformed that single weekly class into Colorado’s premier dog boarding, daycare, and sports facility.

K9cation was built from the ground up on passion, hard work, and a shared vision: to create a place where dogs can thrive, learn, and have fun while receiving the highest quality care. Every expansion, every new service, and every piece of our facility is a testament to those early days of dedication and the belief that dogs deserve more than just a place to stay, they deserve a place to grow, and play.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

At K9cation, our most powerful and effective marketing has never been a paid ad campaign or a flashy promotion, it’s been word of mouth. From the very beginning, our business has grown because of the trust and recommendations of our clients. The passion and involvement from Kelly and Steve and our direct involvement built us a solid reputation of trust in our community and beyond.

When dog owners see the difference in their pets after a stay or training session with us, they share that experience with their friends, family, and fellow dog lovers. That kind of genuine endorsement is something you can’t buy, it comes from delivering consistent, high-quality care and creating meaningful results for every dog that walks through our doors.

We consider every referral and recommendation a huge compliment. It means our clients see the value of what we do and believe in our mission enough to share it with others. To this day, the majority of our new clients find us not through advertising, but through the words of happy owners and their well-adjusted, wagging-tailed ambassadors.

This type of growth also keeps us grounded. It reminds us that every interaction matters, every dog’s experience matters, and that building strong relationships with both dogs and their humans is at the heart of K9cation’s success. Our clients aren’t just customers, they’re our community, and their voices are what have made K9cation what it is today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.k9cation.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k9cation
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/K9cation