Exploding some popular myths –  ‘Tough dog beds are uncomfortable’ and ‘All Dog Beds need to be replaced regularly’

OK – At the risk of using a terrible pun, it’s time someone put these myths to bed.

There is absolutely no reason why your dog bed should not be ultra-comfy as well as tough, and built to last for the life of your dog and beyond. There. We’ve said it.

Let’s just pause for a while and explore the reasons why the dog bed that you bought only a few months ago is now ready for landfill.

First of all, let’s look at the vested interests of the big pet stores. The vast majority of dog beds sold in this country are imported. They arrive in the UK in large containers that often travel thousands of miles to get here. It stands to reason therefore that the more dog beds that you can fit in a container, the cheaper the unit cost.

Pet store retailers love dog beds filled with loose hollow polyester fibre or foam because they can be compressed easily and then fluffed-up when they finally reach the store. So in volume terms, the customer is buying a bed that has fresh air as a main constituent!

In addition, there is very little incentive for stores to demand a longer-lasting, more durable product from their manufacturing sources. If you build in obsolescence your customers will visit your store more often and, inevitably, buy much more than a replacement dog bed.

Now let’s look at the bed itself and what tends to go wrong to the point where you need to replace it.

There are three main issues –i) It flattens and fails to provide any support and insulation or It simply breaks down and becomes shapeless/ lumpy or generally dog-eared and unsightly ii) It starts to smell / become damp / mouldy and cannot be easily cleaned and iii) It simply starts to fall apart because the components used in it’s manufacture are simply just not up to the job.

If you add thick, dense layers of breathable natural fibres around a central mat of individual pocket springs you produce hard wearing dog beds that simply will not flatten, have an optimum level of insulation and will continue to give that all important ‘bounce’ factor for years.

Our dog bed mattress is at least three times heavier than the average store bought bed of the same size.

We then encase the filling in a tough natural cotton drill inner cover and ‘tuft’ the mattress – just like the best human mattresses – by running a needle and tough thread through the mattress at regular intervals to ensure that everything stays in place.

Finally, we wrap everything in a durable waterproof outer cover that is fully removable / washable and replaceable to protect the inner filling from damp, dander, mould, mildew and any possible infestation. To add the icing to the cake, we then offer a wide range of super stylish optional upholstery-grade fabric covers to provide extra warmth and comfort – again, these are fully removable / washable and replaceable.

If you choose one of our Raised Dog Beds as well as or instead of our Waterproof Orthopaedic Mattress – These too have a fully removable and replaceable cover that can be changed in seconds and can be easily wiped clean, hosed down or machine washed.

Finally, we are based in the UK so, if anything were to go wrong, we are quickly on hand to fix the problem.

We have a strong ‘Buy British’ philosophy. We know who makes everything we sell and we personally approve all fabrics and fillings, and, for the ultimate test for all tough dog beds, before we launch a product, each is subjected to the rigours of a thorough test by our own flotilla of Labradors. ‘If they don’t like it, we don’t sell it!’