The Big Shrimpy Original

Dogs don’t need much help when it comes to sleeping. They’re amazingly proficient at it. If there’s a couple square feet of soft turf somewhere out there, they’re probably already snoozing on it. But I’ve noticed something about the Big Shrimpy Original dog bed my two dogs have been snoozing on for the past year or so. They’re addicted to it. I’ve had a few other beds floating around the house, and there’s no shortage of space on the carpet and backyard. Yet every time I pull the three-inch thick Big Shrimpy bed out from under mine, both dogs practically jump over me to stake out their spot on it.

I can’t say my dogs prefer one kind of soft bed over another. They seem to like a pile of my dirty laundry quite a bit. But I think the Big Shrimpy beds are some of the best on the market. First, the entire bed is machine-washable and dryable. That’s a key point most people don’t consider when buying a bed at the pet store. The cover is made of really tough faux suede—after a year of use, there’s no sign of wear (and my dogs aren’t easy on it) and different covers can be bought separately, so you don’t have to throw out the entire bed if it does ever wear out. The bed is water resistant and odor resistant—key if your dogs sleep in your bedroom. And it slips easily under your bed, so you’re not always tripping over it on the floor. The best part: Big Shrimpy uses SmartFill insulation, which is not just recycled, but comes straight from other manufacturers’ waste streams, so it doesn’t take any more energy to produce (unlike, say, recycled plastic bottles). The company has a cool sustainability philosophy. And the bed looks good, almost like a fitness mat. It says, “I love my dog. But not so much that it’s creepy.”

If you’re putting enough thought into buying a dog bed that you read this entire review, stop studying and just check out Big Shrimpy.

—JUSTIN NYBERG

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