Pet bets

August 27, 2005 3:26 PM

I want one of these. but the cost is prohibitive. Any ideas on anything as good or better?
posted by oflinkey to Pets & Animals (5 answers total)

LL Bean Dog Beds and Blankets
posted by amb at 4:25 PM on August 27, 2005

I just went through this. I inherited a great dog bed that needed a new cover, and the ones I could afford were either blah solids or preppy/outdoorsy prints, neither of which appealed to me.

So I made a cover myself. You could use anything tough and washable (i.e., canvas or duck) but I went with super-durable outdoor fabric from here, for about $20 a yard. (The Crypton site sells the Wegman fabric for $85 a yard, if you simply must have one of those doggy patterns.) Total cost for the cover, including piping, zipper and thread: $75 and change. The dog is happy with her comfy new bed, and I'm happy to be rid of tasteful taupe.

If you don't sew, you probably know someone who could do this for you -- it's only slightly trickier than making a pillow sham, mainly because of the amount and stiffness of the fabric. Even if you have to pay someone -- an upholsterer, a seamstress or tailor, a fashion student -- the fee shouldn't be exorbitant.

FYI: Though I did not get my dog bed here, try SitStay. I order lots of dog impedimentia from them -- always good quality and reasonably priced.
posted by vetiver at 5:27 PM on August 27, 2005

Alternately, one can purchase dog beds from a farm or ranch supply store for $10-15 and pitch them when they get too nasty. That's what I do. Well, the first part, at least. I've yet to actually dispose of a dog bed. I find the smell of dog to be rather homey.
posted by stet at 8:22 PM on August 27, 2005

Response by poster: OK, thank you for the suggestions. I will look into those options. The ones I linked to, however, are "guaranteed" not to stain or smell, etc. That was the idea I was looking at.
posted by oflinkey at 9:51 PM on August 27, 2005

Sorry -- I foolishly assumed you shared my frivolous obsession with appearances. To actually address your concerns:

The outdoor fabric is both stain-resistant and washable. I wash the cover every six weeks or so, to get rid of the accumulated hair and general doggy grime. No stains noticed so far. I'm with stet in the pro-dog-smell camp, so you might want to wash a cover more often to keep down any odor.

You can also stuff cedar shavings in the bed itself, as a supplement to whatever's already there. The shavings do smell good, and they're supposed to help repel fleas, too. (You can buy the shavings at any big pet store.)
posted by vetiver at 12:20 PM on August 28, 2005