[NAGDU] would love any recommendations for a comfy bed for an old doggy

Sun Oct 25 03:24:35 UTC 2020

So, I have a love-hate relationship with specialized dog beds. A lot of what I use are not technically dog beds. For instance, my dog likes to curl up into a doughnut shape, and she and I both like circles, and I found one of the most functional and attractive dog beds for her, is to simply buy a cushion that is intended to be on a pop is on chair. If anyone here doesn’t know what a pop is on chair looks like, it’s kind of like a basket, a large wicker thing, a circle, pretty big, maybe about 4 feet in diameter, and depressed in the center, to make, like I said a basket, and then that sits on top of a base, also wicker, and it doesn’t attach to the base, it’s sort of sits in place, so you can have it straight on top of it and sit in the chair, with your butt in the middle in your head and feet up on the edges, almost like you’re sitting in an innertube, or you can slip the basket so that you’re sitting in it more like a regular chair that just happens to be around. But the cushions that go in them are medium to thin, large, round, and usually come in cool patterns. It also depends on what the bed is sitting on, in theory, if you have carpeted floors that have a carpet pad and then the actual rug on top of it, you don’t need a super cushions dog bed, but if you have a hard linoleum floor, or worse, a cement or concrete floor like in a basement or garage, that higher quality padding is definitely called for. It is also a sad fact, that often the things made for dogs and cats are not as high-quality, as safe, as well-made, as things made for human beings. Or, when they are, you often have to pay an arm and a leg for them. I have used a crib mattress, a very firm high-quality crib mattress that used to be my sons, as a dog bed, and that was so supportive that I gave it to a friend with a dog with bad arthritis, and that actually worked really well for their dog. They just had to put a cover over it because the crib mattress is covered in a waterproof material. A lot of times, a human bed, or couch, or armchair, he’s going to be a lot more supportive for a dog that has joint issues, but the trade-off is, getting onto a high bed or couch, could be difficult for the dog, and also the factor of whether or not you decide to allow your guide dog on furniture or not. I have noticed a lot of dogs like to curl up in an old armchair. They even prefer it over a human bed, I’ve noticed, that they use the back and arms of the chair to support their back, hips, shoulders, in different positions. I have never seen a dog bed that has bolsters, reinforced with either metal or wood, that replicate what an arm chair does. If you really don’t want your guide dog on your furniture, maybe dedicating just one arm chair for them, or even sign the legs off of an old arm chair to make it lower to the ground, and therefore, less like human furniture, could be an option. Or, please in a dog bed in a corner, or in a hard sided wire or airline crate, might give them some support with options to lean against the wall or the sides of the crate. I’ve also had a lot of luck picking out cushions that are intended for a couch, or a Shays lounge, because they’re bigger, and often, because they’re intended for people, they are thicker, higher quality, and have a lot more firm support to them. I have bought so many dog beds over the years, and I’ve never found one that I really and truly liked or that my dog really and truly liked. Also, I let my dog sleep in my bed, so a dog bed isn’t as important, although in traveling, or, if I had an office I had to go to where the floor was very hard, it would probably be more important. I have bought beds that cost $15, and I have bought beds that cost $200, I have bought beds that were really cute, that my dog did not care to use, and I have bought crate beds, which get the job done but aren’t terribly supportive, I have bought big fluffy cushy beds, that are virtually worthless because if your dog is old and has an accident on it, or your child spilled a cup of milk on it, or life happens to it, while the cover unzips is washable, the inner bag of fluffy material really isn’t, I had to save my poor washing machine from committing suicide trying to wash a very large, and when wet, very heavy, bed. I wish I had found beds where there are multiple bolsters that can be removed and washed, I have found ones where it looks like that, but once you unzip the cover, you discover a big long snake of doom, basically it’s the same fluffy crap that is inside the big bag of fluffy crap, except this is a long serpentine mess that goes in circles, like a cinnamon roll, an evil, fluffy, demonic cinnamon roll that wants to kill your washing machine. I have the outer zipper cases of several dog beds that had the large internal pillow of fluff, and I simply buy inexpensive pillows from Walmart, bed pillows, and I place them inside the case, if something happens to them and they get nasty, they only cost a dollar or two apiece, and I throw them out. I’ve seen some of the memory foam beds, but I just can’t stomach spending that much on a bed that is likely to get drool, urine, feces, milk, coffee, insert name of bodily or food substance that will somehow wind up on it in my household, onto the foam, which could discolor, stain, break down, or make the foam itself very nasty smelling, even after Spot cleaning. One of my Guide Dogs really loved a beanbag of mine, obviously, if your dog is a chore, that have been bag is not a good plan, because you will likely make a trip to the vet, or the very least have a massive mess of foam pellets all over your house. But if your dog isn’t a chore, a beanbag isn’t a bad idea. If your dog likes it and will use it. Another one of my guys like to get into a Hamic swing in the backyard, she literally managed to lay in a Hamic, without getting stuck in it. We also had an outdoor glider swing that was upholstered that every single dog was encountered it, feels the need to get onto, lay down, and take a nap. It’s very cute. So, I guess I have recommendations, but they’re not for a particular brand of a particular style of bed. I’m always open to suggestions, because I still have not found a commercial dog bed that I and my dog both like. And collectively, having had Guide Dogs since age 16, and pet dog since age 7, I have probably bought or had gifted to me about $2000 worth of dog beds. One really awesome dog bed I saw at a friends house, was a fold out couch, this one had no internal structure, so if you are a person of size, it’s probably going to get flat very quickly, it was an expensive, I think it cost about $80, when it’s folded up you can sit on it like a regular couch, maybe about the size of a loveseat, then you simply unfold on rolling the seat portion and it rolls out into a flat fairly firm cushion that is perhaps 6 inches thick, maybe as many as eight, the way they would use it, was to fold it up during the day, they do not allow their dogs on the furniture, and then at night, when they didn’t want their three dogs, two Guide Dogs and one retired guy dog on the bed, they were just unfold the couch, and Leah blanket over it and all the dogs would lay together on a space about the size of a twin size bed. During the day, they would simply fold up the couch, which took all of about a minute house, so that it didn’t take up a lot of space in their bedroom. If we did not allow our dogs on the bed, I would totally invest in a couch like this. Especially since we had to service dogs would like to sleep together.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 16, 2020, at 11:43 PM, Donna St. John via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
>  I bought this dog bed at Amazon.  I love that the outer covers are washable, they give you two and it has an inner, water prof cover that zips on as well.  Comes in various sizes. I feel it was well worth what I spent on mene.
> Donna and IndyDogbed4less Premium Memory Foam Dog Bed, Pressure-Relief Orthopedic | Waterproof Case, Washable Durable Denim Cover and Bonus 2nd External Cover, 7 Sizes, Blue
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> Dogbed4less Premium Memory Foam Dog Bed, Pressure-Relief Orthopedic | Wa...
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> 47" Length X 29" Width X 4" Thick is ideal for medium to large breed dogs and also fit into 48"X30" XL dog crate...
> |
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>    On Friday, October 16, 2020, 03:48:38 PM CDT, Sherrill O'Brien via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:  
> 
> Hello all,
> 
> 
> 
> My old girl Fallon will be turning 13 next Wednesday.where did the years go?
> 
> She is in need of a new bed.her old one had to go for reasons you can
> probably imagine.
> 
> I'm thinking of purchasing one of the "orthopedic" ones, though it's perhaps
> hard to judge which ones are really superior. If possible, I'd like one
> that's completely washable, not just the zippered cover.
> 
> Has anyone had experience with a line called Frisco? They're sold
> exclusively through Chewy. An orthopedic pillow type has good ratings, but
> I'm hoping to get some suggestions from folks I can rely on.
> 
> Has anyone used the igloo or cave type beds? Even though we're in Florida,
> my girl really likes to be cozy, and gets chilly in the winter. I'm hesitant
> to get one for fear she might not like it. I'm mean and don't allow her to
> snuggle up on our bed!
> 
> She's a petite fifty pounds.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks in advance for any recommendations. Feel free to email me offline at
> 
> Sherrill.obrien at verizon.net
> 
> Though probably others could benefit, too.
> 
> Don't you think she'd appreciate a cushy new bed for her birthday?
> 
> She'd probably prefer a filet mignon, but that's in her dreams!
> 
> 
> 
> Have a great weekend, even if it's at your house.
> 
> 
> 
> Sherrill and almost teenager Fallon!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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