easy [and cheap!] IKEA dog bed hack

Dog owners know that accessories can get expensive. Especially owners of 80+ lb. breeds like yours truly.

In a house like ours with wood floors, soft bedding for Anise is a must. It's also not terribly affordable to replace when you wake up to this:

Yep. Miss Thing needs attention and when she doesn't get it, i.e., when we're sleeping or out of the house (hence no bedding in her crate), she finds ways to entertain herself.

Just days before, I was talking to Sean, irritated about how the beds were sliding all over the floor, all over the house: "we should get rug pads or something for these. They're always moving and in the way." (As larger breeds are prone to joint issues, especially as they get older, it's good to provide soft places for her to lay on our aforementioned wood floors and thus we keep beds on all main floors)

As it worked out, I had to pop into IKEA to pick up a gift card. Naturally, I had to meander through the "marketplace" on my way to the registers.

Almost immediately, I spotted it: a roll of said "rug pad" material (STOPP, they call it). At $3.99. Yoink! I can't stop her from chewing her bed apart when we're asleep, but I can keep her remaining bed and what's left of her (no longer in her) crate pad from sliding all over the floors. Good enough.

Then, it got better. I spotted the TOFTBO bath mat right before I hit the registers. $9.99. A light bulb went off. She could still have something soft, and if she rips it up, fine, but at least there won't be balls of fluff floating all over the house (and in her tummy). It was worth a shot.

Anise clearly thought so, too. I came home, grabbed the hot glue gun, and went to work—while she investigated and continuously tried to get on the mat as I cut the STOPP and glued it into place (hint: sewing is obviously the long-lasting way to go here, but hot glue is what we have, so hot glue is what we used.)

I made the new bed for Anise, attached the STOPP to her other 2 beds, and had STOPP to spare. $14 at IKEA and some hot glue bought back some of my sanity.

I felt pretty successful, but of course, the final verdict was in Anise's paws...

I think she's in agreement with me.