Princess Suki

Princess Suki standing after recovering from knee surgery

The pet beds are easy to fold down for short or petite fur babies

Sleepy Puppy Pet Beds attended many markets and shows

Sleepy Puppy Summer Markets

Sweet Sammie Boy

WHERE DID THE IDEA OF SLEEPY PUPPY PET BEDS COME FROM?

I adopted a sassy, senior pomeranian I renamed Suki. Suki was about 8 years old when she was up for adoption by a lovely gal around the corner from my house. I contacted the owner and drove right over. Suki, then was named Diamond, seemed to be in good health. The owner shared that Suki couldn’t walk on hard floors but she didn’t elaborate. I didn’t care nor did I understand what she meant. I offered the owner her asking fee and was denied payment. The owner gifted her to me bc she knew I would care for her and keep her. Her being a tiny pomeranian, the owner feared someone would try to turn a profit on her.

I brought Diamond, now named Suki, home and introduced her to her new family. She adapted quickly to the other dogs and humans in the house. Even my senior long-haired chihuahua, Sammie, allowed her a spot on the couch. As she adjusted, I noticed Suki did avoided the hardwood floors as her previous owner stated. She kept to the carpet runners and area rugs. At her first vet check, the doctor acknowledge Suki’s back knees were in bad shape. She had luxating patellas (typical of small breeds). I had one knee “repaired” and I should have stopped there. She was walking on the hardwood floors on her own a few weeks after surgery. Her second surgery went well but she stopped walking on the hardwood floors. Again, keeping to area carpets and runners. At this time, Suki could still make her way to the back yard stairs and help herself outside to go potty. She just needed help getting back up the two steps after the dog door. Eventually, Suki would piddle in her doggie bed because getting up to go outside had become a challenge. We set her on the grass often and carry her back inside the house but her little accidents would happen too. The dog beds I bought from commerical stores were nice but the quality was less than ideal for our home. The beds barely fit in the washing machine and the dryer melted them on the lowest dry setting. It seemed like a waste of money to buy these beds only to have them melt in my dryer after the first wash.

AN IDEA BEGINS TO BREW…

I love shopping at local thrift stores. I often passed by the bedding and look at infant crib bumpers rolled up on shelves, admiring the colors and themes of the bedding. One day, I thought to myself, “those bumpers look like walls to a dog bed.” So, I bought one and cut it in half. I pinned the ends together and placed a standard pillow inside after I secured a circle of bumper. I placed it on the large area rug near Suki and walked away for a few minutes. When I returned to the living room, Suki was spread out on this makeshift dog bed. She was very happy girl. So, I went back to a few thrift stores and bought a variety of infant crip bumpers. I sew as a hobby and have an industrial sewing machine with walking foot. I began modifying the crib bumpers into smaller circles and securing a standard pillow case to them. I could place my old pillows from my bed inside the pet bed and pull it out when it was time to launder the bed clean. Suki loved laying on my pillow in my bed and it made sense to give her my old pillow to encourage her to lay in her bed.

The other perks to repurposing the infant crib materials was that they had great designs in a variety of motifs, they were durable and could be washed/dried without falling apart, the pet beds are collaspible once the pillow is pulled out and both fit in any domestic washing machine. Additionally, they don’t off gas like the commercial pet beds I’ve purchased in the past have that are made of synthetic materials! The materials used for infants and children’s bedding in the U.S. have to meet certain safety guidelines by the FDA. Parents tend to purchase or are gifted crib bedding that is good quality and are typically made from quality cotton and cotton blends. So, if these materials used are safe for an infant to be exposed to while they slumber, they should be safe for your pets too…theoretically.

SPEAKING OF SAFETY…

The Biden Administration passed the Safe Sleep for Babies Act that took effect back in November of 2022, prohibiting the selling of certain types of infant crib bumpers. These traditional crib bumpers posed a safety risk of strangelation due to the ties used to secure them to a crib and the materials posed a suffication risk for infants worming themselves under/between the bumper and the crib. When I heard of this law coming down the pike, I reached out to several local thrift stores by personally introduce myself and I emailed letters outlining the Bill, the restrictions and a request to forward the infant bumpers to me in the form of in kind donations to my small venture. After all, considering the resale of the crib bumpers would no longer be allowed, they were probably going to rot in a landfill or they would be shredded like other fabrics and fibers if they didn’t get repurposed somehow. Again, selling them would not be lawful. Agree or disagree with the law, this was an opportunity to repurpose materials that were once thoughfully chosen for the comfort of a new baby’s arrival.

Only one of the thrift stores I approached lent me their attention and said yes It was an immediate YES in fact. This thrift store began collecting the donated crib bumpers and contacted me when they had bags and bags of bumpers. Their generosity and willingness to support local small businesses has allowed me to offer these pet beds at low cost ($15-$45). I’ve donated the beds to animal shelters, animal clinics, fund raisers and private pet owners who swoon over these beautiful beds but are on a tight budget.

TIMES MOVES FOWARD… Sweet, sassy Suki passed in 2022 on her own terms. Eventually, she stopped walking and spent her days being catered to by my loving niece, Jasmine. She slept in my Jasmine’s bed nightly and wore infant diapers like a human baby. The joy Suki brought my family and our other dogs was worth every penny, every sassy moment, every potty accident in the house... She even shat in the community water bowl, not once but twice! She was a deliberate and diabolical pomeranian. She was like a Sour Patch candy. Sour at first and then sweet. Sammie (long-haired apple head chi) welcomed all new dogs, including sassy Suki. Suki often cuddled with Danelion, our blind pekingnese who was adopted out of a shelter at age 8, after Sammie passed. Count Johan Jacque aka Jack enjoyed annoying Princess Suki as a puppy. Suki knew she was the boss of the house. She is missed dearly. Tucker, our pomchi, didn’t get to meet Suki but we think they would have been close.

So, that is how Sleepy Puppy Pet Beds came about and I will continue to make the pet beds until I no longer have the cache of crib bumpers waiting to be a welcome home comfort for your favorite family pet.

Charlie approving Sleepy Puppy pet beds

Charlie approving the beds

Dandelion on Sleepy Puppy pet bed

Dandelion looking Dandy

Princess Suki and Reggie

Suki's first Sleepy Puppy bed

Suki’s first Sleepy Puppy bed

Washing donated bumpers for pet beds

Donated Infant Crib Bumpers are Washed Prior to Modification

Sleepy Puppy pet beds at Maudie's

Sleepy Puppy Pet Beds on Display

Cripple Creek, CO 2023

The ARC Thrift Store in Brighton, CO donates infant crib bumpers to Sleepy Puppy Pet Beds

Arc Thrift Store Donation Brighton, CO
Jack's first Sleepy Puppy pet bed

8 weeks old

Baby Jack’s first bed

Tucker and Dandy

The smaller the bed the better!

Pomchi Tucker in pet bed

Tucker and his rock

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