Cracking Good Job, Gromit! (Scruffs Wallace & Gromit Dog Sofa Bed)

Member Name: FourPaws

Product:	Scruffs Wallace & Gromit Dog Sofa Bed
Date:	25/06/09 (131 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Protects the sofa from dog hair/claw marks, warm & cosy, nice design, retains shape when washed

Disadvantages: Not really worth the £89.99 price tag - you are just paying for the name

*What is the Scruffs Wallace & Gromit Dog Sofa Bed?*
This pet bed is produced by the Scruffs company, the highly popular manufacturers of a wide range of pet beds- with a large selection including mattress style beds, baskets, beanbags and plastic beds amongst much more- so there is sure to be something to cater for the sleeping requirements of every cat and dog!

*The product itself*
At the end of the day, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that I love more than just crashing out with Grace and Benson. When I'm home from work and after everyone at Zoo FourPaws has been fed, watered, exercised and put to bed, after all the jobs around the house have been done and after I've cooked for myself and my fiancé, then that's it- it's time to curl up on the sofa with the dogs and just completely chill out for the evening.

Now, I love my dogs, you all know that. But, I also love my very, very expensive sofa probably just as much and the thought of it being covered in dog hair and Benson drool quite simply fills me with dread. Of course, the simple solution would just to keep them off of it completely, but where's the fun in that? Dogs don't live no where near long enough- they're here for a good time, not a long time- so I'm the first to admit that both Grace and Benson are spoilt rotten. And that means being allowed on the sofa, albeit by invitation only, and only when I am on there, so we can have our cuddles.

However, as I mentioned earlier, I also love my sofa, it cost a bomb and it's going to have to last me a good few years yet, so I can't afford for it to be ruined by the claws of the dogs and I quite like the colour it is already, I don't want it turned black by a layer of dog hair. Hence the need for a good quality sofa covering for when the dogs come up on it. I've always used throws, they're cheap, cleanable and do the job however when browsing online for a new bed for my cats, I came across these rather cute sofa beds and that was it, I had to have them and placed my order, purchasing one each for both Grace and Benson.

The beds are produced by the Scruffs company, who I love dearly and have used many, many times in the past and the products are fab, so I knew it'd be getting good value for my money with these beds. As the name suggests, they are designed to be used on a sofa- providing the dog with a lovely, comfy, warm and cosy place to sleep whilst at the same time helping to protect your chair or sofa, keeping it free of dog hair or claw marks.

The beds consist of firstly, a lightly padded base cushion covered in soft white fleece, which extends past the lenght of the bed, this part is designed to hang down over the edge of your sofa, helping to protect the material on the front of your sofa when the dog enters and exits the bed. High, wide rimed striped side walls then complete the bed, creating a cosy den for your pet to sleep and also helping to prevent them from rolling off onto the material of the sofa whilst away in the land of nod! Finally, the base of the bed is treated with a slip resistant finish, keeping the bed securely in place when in use, especially hand when being used on leather sofas.

For added fun factor, Scruffs have teamed up with the guys behind TV favourites Wallace & Gromit to make this bed and a Gromit motif sits proudly at the bottom of the bed!

*Packaging*
The bed comes packaged in a clear film, helping to keep it clean and dry until use and you'll also find a cardboard insert which gives a small amount of information about the product such as cleaning instructions and of course, contact details for Scruffs should you have any questions or comments. Just as a little side note, I've contacted this company a couple of times in the past with small queries and a minor complaint and their customer service has always been faultless on every occasion.

*Price & Availability*
I've only seen these beds stocked online, although they may well be available elsewhere. They come in two sizes- Size 1, which is pictured here on dooyoo and measures 60 x 50 x 15cm and then Size 2, which measures a slightly larger 90 x 50 x 15cm, you also have a choice of two colours- green or brown.

I purchased Grace and Bensons beds from the Scruffs official website (www.petslovescruffs.com) for £89.99 each, they are the larger size. The smaller Size 1 can be purchased for twenty pounds less.

*My opinion*
Grace and Benson are my world, there is no two ways about it. I've owned several dogs in my lifetime, but not one of them has come anywhere close to being as special to me as these two monsters are. They give me their all, every single day, so in return, I like to give them back as much as I can, as god, do they deserve it! As a result of this, yes, they are incredibly spoilt- having an extremely hectic job, no kids and all my family back home in America results in very little social life, and therefore alot of money being spent on the dogs instead!

When we have our cuddles in the evening, like I mentioned earlier, I generally use to use a throw chucked over the sofa, then just sit on that along with the dogs. Grace would be my pillow and then Benson would lay on top of me being my blanket- they're pretty useful when they want to be y'know! Anyway, when I saw these beds, I couldn't resist the lure of Wallace & Gromit and I placed my order, knowing they'd not only be insanely cute but also incredibly practical too, helping to protect my sofa from the monsters.

Once my order had been lodged, I nursed my credit card back to health after almost killing it again spending nearly £180 on yet more dog beds and then waited eagerly for them to arrive. Sure enough, a week or so later there was a knock at my door and two beds plonked onto my doorstep. Bringing them inside the house, I couldn't wait to try them out with the dogs, quickly removing the packaging, I set them up on the sofa and called the dogs through.

They looked great, they were a reasonable size, looked extremely comfy with nice high sides and I liked the bit that hung down at the front, as Grace and Benson aren't the most elegant of dogs and can be quite clumsy, especially when getting on/off the sofa, so I was happy knowing these beds had a feature designed to minimise damage.

Grace and Benson were desperate to try them also, so I gave them their command allowing them up onto the sofa and after an initial dispute over what bed they each wanted, they soon settled down. They are the type of dogs who, if they don't like something, will complain accordingly, and very loudly! But I'm pleased to say these beds seemed to be a hit and they both flopped down for a rest.

The bed was a perfect size for Grace, she could lay down in it quite comfortably and even lay stretched out on her side, which she opted to do, with her head resting on the side wall and she went out like a light. She looked so peaceful and comfy and was dead to the world for a good couple of hours, snoozing away in her new bed. For Benson, on the other hand, the bed is a little bit of a tight squeeze, being a much larger dog than Grace he does have to curl up in a ball to enable him to fit in the bed. He doesn't mind this, and when he does so, he looks quite comfy, he just doesn't seem to enjoy using the bed as much as Grace loves hers- possibly because he gets too warm all curled up with his big thick coat.

I like the fact the beds have high sides- it's not so much of a problem at the moment, but in the winter months our cottage can get quite drafty and I know these sides will do a good job of keeping the drafts off the dogs, therefore ensuring they are lovely and warm. They are also doing a good job at protecting my sofa, the base cushion isn't incredibly thick but it still offers adequate protection from the dogs claws, it hasn't ripped in the slightest and the non-slip base is also very good, keeping the bed in place firmly on the sofa, even when the dogs jump on and off.

To conclude, Grace absolutely loves her bed- she can snuggle right down in it and gets so comfy, sleeping for hours at a time on it and sulks like a big kid when I refuse her pleas to come up onto the sofa for whatever reason. Benson does use his, but it could do with being a bit larger for him to be able to use it more comfortably. I really do like how they protect my sofa though- they keep hair and slobber from reaching the fabric, prevent claws from ripping it and help keep doggy odours away too. They wash up fantastically also, which is a great bonus.

A nice, decent quality, warm and cosy bed, although I just can't see how Scruffs can justify charging £90 for them... no matter what Grace says!

Summary: Forget ''Wake Up, Gromit!''- it's ''Wake Up, Grace!'' now she has discovered this bed!