Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Because our large German Shepherd has hip joint problems, I keep thick foam dog beds throughout the house for him to lie on rather than the cold, hard slate floors. This works great for indoors; but he and our other dog both spend some time out on our covered and enclosed front porch during nice weather. I'd hesitated to leave the foam/fabric beds out on the porch for fear that moisture, pollen, and buggy things could start to take their toll on the beds. I decided that one of these Coolaroo beds would be perfect for using on the porch, since it would offer our shepherd relief from the hard wood flooring of the porch and also be relatively weather proof (although it doesn't get direct sun or rain). He was a big weenie at first and wouldn't step up on it. I started putting small pieces of dog treats in the middle of the bed, and it took very little time before he was happily hopping up on it without cookie bribery. So long as he doesn't get wild and crazy-acting when he gets on or off, the bed stays in place without scooching around. When I first opened the package, I was afraid that the bed would be too small for our guy. I had checked the Coolaroo website and they apparently don't make this bed in an extra-large size. Our pooch is a big fellow (over 100 lbs), but can rest comfortably on this large-size bed, although he's unable to totally stretch out. Besides the more comfortable surface, the bed offers a cooler spot to rest since air can circulate under it. It's also very easy to clean...you can even just hose it off. My only complaint is that there is an opening at each corner where the cover attaches to the frame. These four corner holes are dog-foot-size and it's easy for my klutzy dog to accidentally slip a foot/leg into one of the holes when getting off the bed. The bed was quite easy to assemble. The box contained eight metal sections (posts/legs), four large screws, and the sturdy nylon mesh bed surface that attaches to the frame. The only required tool for assembly is a large phillips-head screwdriver (although I did use a power drill with screwdriver attachment for my assembly). When putting the bed together, it's important to not tighten any of the four screws until you have them all lined up and started with their respective screw hole. It didn't take me more than five minutes to put it together. The bed actually seems much sturdier than I expected while still remaining lightweight enough to easily move. I'd also bought one of the small Coolaroo beds for our little terrier just so she didn't feel that her big brother always gets the cool stuff. Unfortunately, she insists on choosing the "big" bed instead of her little one. We'd leave the house for awhile and when we came home, she'd be sprawled in the middle of his large bed; and the poor big guy would be stuck lying on the floor with his chin resting on her little bed. So, now I've ordered a second large bed for her. It's definitely overkill as far as size goes. Her 16 lb body is dwarfed by this large Coolaroo...but it has resolved the sharing problem. No matter which one she chooses, there will still be a large one left for him (or at least until such time as she figures out how to stack them and keep them all to herself). Our little adopted cat occasionally wanders outside on the porch and I can usually find her snuggled on one of the beds with the dogs. These beds are also the perfect choice for when your dog is vacationing at a kennel. I never wanted to take any of their regular beds to the kennel for fear of what nasties I might bring home in them; so I'd always just pick up a couple of cheap used comforters/blankets at Goodwill to use during kennel stays. These raised beds are so much better, though. It keeps their bodies up off the hard floor and I can easily disinfect them when we get home. They're SO much easier to move around than big padded floppy beds. If they're out on the porch and I want to bring them back in the house, they easily stack and are still lightweight enough to let them both hang at your side to carry inside. I've included a photo of our 110+ lb Ferg on the bed so that you can get an idea of sizing. UPDATE: I see that Coolaroo now sells this raised bed in an x-large size. Good news. I'll probably order one in the larger size so my big guy can fully stretch out.