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I test home products for a living and recommend this $16 dog bed to every pet parent
This ultra-fluffy, budget-friendly find from Best Friends by Sheri makes nap time a dream.
When my husband and I first got our pup, Frankie, we spent weeks browsing online and quizzing fellow pet owners in search of the best dog bed. Though energetic, Frankie has hip issues and she's extremely sensitive, so we wanted to find a way to help her comfortably relax. We tried elevated dog beds and orthopedic dog beds (she chewed the filling right up) ... and then we found the Best Friends by Sheri Original Calming Donut Bed. Nothing compares to the coziness she experiences on this supremely fluffy cuddler. It puts her to sleep almost immediately.
It's a not-so-ruff life: This shaggy dog bed helps calm a nervous pup.
And here's the thing: Frankie is petrified of the unfamiliar. When we got a new garbage can, she skulked around it for hours, peering at it from the corner of her eye. So you can imagine that I thought she might need an adjustment period when I brought home the Donut Bed. Not the case! She gave it a sniff, then hopped right in, resting her head on the elevated rim.
That was a few of years ago, and the bed has held up amazingly well even though Frankie is what pet companies call a "power chewer" — lucky me. She has nibbled at the fabric and even tugged at it, but this is a nearly indestructible dog bed (I think the ultra-shaggy faux fur cover gets on her tongue and helps discourage chewing). We have the large size, and it's a breeze to clean: You just remove the polyfill cushioning at the base and around the edge and then toss the rest of the bed in the washing machine. It fluffs up beautifully in the dryer.
Frankie's not the only fan: The Donut Bed has more than 58,000 five-star ratings on Amazon. I recommend this dog bed so often, I'm pretty sure I'm responsible for at least a few hundred of them!
"I read the reviews and thought this would be good for our nervous Chihuahua. It was like magic when we got it. She sleeps on it all the time and sleeps deeply," wrote one shopper.
Big-pup parents agree with me that it's a great dog bed for large dogs, too: "One of my dogs is 120 pounds and never used any other dog bed. Once we got this dog bed, he never got out of it. It’s easy to wash, durable and fits him comfortably. It even holds its shape well. I cannot recommend this dog bed enough!" wrote another happy customer.
Even cats seem to love this thing, which I really consider a win. As one reviewer put it, "We have several of these beds and our dogs (and often our cats) love snuggling up in them! They will curl up in a ball or stretch themselves out taking up as much space as they can. They definitely have some sweet dreams in this bed!"
As a home editor, design is really important to me and while this may not be the most stylish dog bed I've ever seen, it does come in multiple colors, including plenty of neutrals like gray, taupe and cream, so you can pick something to complement your house.
As you might expect, the price goes up with the size of the bed, though you can often find sales on discontinued colors. And if shag isn't your thing, you can also pick up this dog bed in a lower-pile faux fur.
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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