My dog is spoilt, and with it being National Pet Month, I knew I had to spoil her that little bit extra with her very own 'pet bed'.
My little Evie is a one-year-old Miniature Dachshund. She doesn't always get what she wants but when it comes to being comfortable at home she can certainly have her cake and eat it.
Beyond the adorable accessories I've bought over the past year, I've also spent my fair share on dog beds which she has either destroyed by playing with them as a puppy or having the odd accident here and there during training. I've never really wanted to spend a fortune on a bed for her because of this but now she is getting a bit older (although she is still only a puppy) I wanted to treat her to one that's comfortable and she'll actually use.
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Dogs spend the majority of their time sleeping, especially during the day (while living rent-free mind!), so comfort is crucial for catching the z's. By giving Evie a dedicated rest zone it also helps preserve my couch and keep her off the bed, as well as not being on my lap 24/7.
There are many pet beds out there, in fact the market has become so saturated with various kinds of dog beds it can be hard to know whether what you're buying will be right for your furry companion. Firstly, it's good to know the sleeping habits of your dog which will help you determine a style of bed.
Being a small breed, Evie likes to burrow and nest, while also keeping an eye on me as I work from home. Bigger dogs do tend to like bigger, flatter beds, according to researchers. However Evie's style of sleeping went out the window when I came across Get Laid beds.
The bed
Get Laid Beds claim to be the leading specialist in handmade bed manufacturing, and their products are made from 100% solid wood. People who take bed craftsmanship seriously might find the tongue-in-cheek name a little controversial, I didn't though. They make human and pet beds.
Their products are all handmade-to-order, and they offer an 11-year guarantee too. I chose the small wooden pet bed for Evie, which measures 78x71cm, and comes in a variation of colours including honey, grey wash, black satin, natural, red forest, coffee bean and more. I went with the grey wash colour as most of our décor in the house is grey, and who doesn't love a good match?
When it arrived I couldn't believe how big it was for a small bed, and I was worried Evie wasn't even going to entertain it due to it's size. The bed came with 11 grey wooden parts for the frame and then 10 normal wooden slats which were to sit underneath the mattress (also provided). It also came with an instruction guide and a bag of screws.
Setting up was fairly simple but it would have been a lot quicker to do if I had an electric screwdriver. Putting the pieces together by hand using a normal screwdriver was quite a slow process but not impossible to do. I got there.
During the set up I noticed that 10 slats for underneath the mattress were too much. They didn't all fit together and I only used four slats for underneath which worked out fine. I have an extra six leftover which can be used as replacements for the future or I may make something else from them. It looks exactly like my bed with the slats but just a lot smaller.
The foam mattress itself isn't super thick and I was worried Evie may not want to sit or lie-down on it as it did look a little thin. But once I placed the mattress on there and went to get Evie's blankets I came back and she was already checking it out and had hopped onto the bed.
She began scratching at the mattress, smelling and trying to nest and get comfortable, which was a good sign. When I added the blankets and told her this was her new bed she continued the nesting behaviour, and didn't leave the bed for the entire evening. A success.
The bed isn't that high off the ground so Evie can easily hop on and off, something you do need to take note of when you have a Dachshund (protecting their backs at all costs is a must). Evie looks even tinier on the Get Laid bed but she seems to like it all the same and has many blankets on there to make it cosy for her.
The verdict
I like the fact that the bed is handmade, personalised to you and comes with plenty of slats if you want to change the size of the bed. The mattress also isn't too thin or thick and you can make it cosier by adding your blankets and other pillows. The only criticism I have about the bed is that for £79 I would have liked a cover for the mattress included but as I had my own bedding for Evie already, this wasn't too much of an issue.
With Get Laid beds you can customise your own design, choosing colours for the wood, different styles of legs and the size you want. The company also states that they have planted over 70,000 trees in Africa, and any excess waste is made into wood briquettes and donated to the local community to help reduce their heating bills.
The small pet bed I got for Evie costs £79. If you want a medium sized bed then this goes up to £99 and £119 for a large. They of course offer other styles of beds, and beds for humans too. See their full range here.
If you fancy shopping for other handmade pet beds check out Etsy, eBay and Amazon.
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