welleducated's Full Review: Plow and Hearth Medium Cool Bed
I bought two medium beds, but now I wish I had purchased two large beds. My chow/golden mix with her long, amber hair was always panting excessively during the summertime heat, despite Furminating to reduce her undercoat... It gets up to 115 out here! All that panting and getting on and off the bed was keeping me awake at night. Ultimately, I put one the beds on my mattress and I frequently wake up to find both my dogs snuggling to fit on the one bed. I wish I had purchased the larger size to allow more room for sprawling. I often find the cats squeezing onto the Cool Bed as well and I must confess that I have been known to put my arms and legs on it to cool them down.
The bed feels a little like a water bed, if it is overfilled. Also, when I have moved my arms and legs off it, it has that "stick" sensation and my skin perspires slightly from the lack of airflow - as I have found with waterbeds. The cover is simply plastic, so that is a standard effect of plastic, but the paw prints are cute. I wonder if a cotton cover would help on some level with airflow.
I researched awhile, thinking I would buy a Thermacool, but I found so many complaints about failing seems, and the reports which described the seem failure always described failure in the same place. When I contacted that company about my concerns (sending them copies of the complaints), they had little to say. They pointed out the 2 year warranty I was already aware of and claimed that it was the owner's fault for moving the beds around. However, the reviews on the Cool Bed have no complaints about failing seems. I inspected the stitching thoroughly when I received the beds and find it to be well-reinforced. I figure I would rather have a Cool Bed than be constantly returning the Thermacool.
I do notice that my long haired dog does get warm a couple of times during the night. The water where she sleeps does eventually get warmer over the course of hours. She typically wakes up panting and then flops onto her other side at the other end of the mat. I suspect that part of this comes from the fact that we sleep on a futon, which tends to absorb and radiate heat. If there were greater airflow, as with a pillow top, I suspect this would be less of an obstacle. It is airflow which keeps the water in the bed's core cool. Either way, I am able to set the thermostat to a higher temperature, which is more accommodating for me, my throat and my electricity bill.
I placed the other bed in the 3rd story loft, which is exceedingly warm during summer. When I go up there to work, both dogs immediately head for the cool bed and only settle for the regular dog bed when they feel there is no other option. For me, that reinforces how much they prefer it to the carpet, tile and other bedding options. In fact, other than the leather couch, my dogs would rather be on their Cool Bed.
Like I said, if only I had gotten the larger version... maybe then Nikki would stop trying to stretch across the bottom of the bed and take all the room. Instead, she would just stay snuggled on the Cool Bed even when Molly is sprawled out all over it. :)
We've had the bed for 7 months and it has been a God's send through the summer heat. Once temperatures dropped below 90, I tried it outside under the porch swing. (The manufacturer states that it is best under 95 degrees and shouldn't be in direct sunlight - duh, that heats up the water.)
------------------------------------------
Product Features
No electricity required.
Non toxic.
Indoor or Outdoor use. (plastic)
For Dogs up to 60 lbs
Size: 25 x 36 inches
Keep your pet cool and comfortable on hot summer days with this attractive and easy-to-use waterbed. The Cool Pet Bed III has a bonded hydro-cool core...More at Problem Solvers
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.