Here's an idea I got from the clinic I work at......
I've noticed that my dogs like to have soft things to curl up against and put their heads on when they're laying down and sleeping. I often find Leopold bundling up a sweatshirt or jacket that I've left on the floor to make a nice pile to sleep on. He has fluffy blankets and a foam-mattress bed to sleep on too, but something about a bundle of fabric is really appealing to him.
And for that reason I've spent many a long minute staring at the big, squishy beds at pet stores. You know, the kind that have a thick, fluffy edge all the way around. "Wow, my dogs would love that", I think to myself. And then I imagine what a pain in the butt it would be to wash that bed. It won't really fit in the washing machine, and what a mess it would be to de-stuff in order to make it fit. Not practical at all. And then one look at the price tag helps speed up the decision-making process, and I walk away. Expensive! I've thought about making my own, but that still leaves the washability problem.
The solution I've come up with turned out to be quite simple.
At work, we have only blankets to create beds for our patients. We often make what has been dubbed "roundy beds" out of the blankets to put in the cages so the animals have something more than a cage wall to lean against.
I've been making roundy beds for Leopold and Halo at home, and they have seemed delighted!
I'm happy they like the beds, and am pleased at how easy they are to wash since they're just made up of blankets.
Here's how to make a roundy bed:
1. gather materials: all you need is a couple of blankets (I have pictured a queen-sized fleece, and a smaller, throw fleece)
2. roll up the large blanket and form it into a circle on the floor or on top of your dog's pillow/foam bed
3. put the other blanket over top and tuck in the edges-- it helps to keep the circle from unraveling
Simple, washable, and inexpensive!
And, dog-approved:
