This bed is worth the money you'll spend!
When I first read about this bed and did a little research (Thank you WorldMastiffForum.com!), I wanted one right away. After I saw the price, I had to think about it for a few months. We didn't really need another bed yet as I had been taking good care of the two most recent $100 plus orthopedic beds we had by keeping them covered with fitted sheets and fleece throws that I could take off and wash frequently, but the foam was gradually flattening despite my best efforts of flipping and rotating the beds. Finally, we decided our rescue babies, a 130 lb. female mastiff and 120 lb. male great dane/Labrador retriever mix, would get a giant Big Barker to share for Christmas this year! Unfortunately, we found out in October that our male needed TTA surgery for a torn ligament in his knee. We decided to order the bed early so that he could get used to it and then have a comfortable place to recuperate after surgery. When it arrived and we finally got it unwrapped from all the plastic wrap that compressed it to about a fourth of its size, we were surprised at just how large and heavy it was! As per the instructions, it took the foam a few days to fully expand at which point my husband hauled the bed upstairs to our bedroom. We added the waterproof liner and the cover (it took both of us to do this), then topped it with a mattress pad and a sheet that can be taken off and washed a couple times a week. At first the dogs weren't that thrilled with the bed, but over the course of a week, it became their preferred bedtime spot. Both of them can lay on it comfortably, and when only one dog is using it, they can stretch out as far as they want and still be supported. We moved the bed to the main level and surrounded it with a folding pen for use while recuperating and it has been wonderful for that purpose! There was more than enough room for our boy to stretch out, get up and turn around. We also had plenty of room to sit beside him and do passive range of motion exercises on his leg. I have to confess, we even stretched out beside him and snuggled for a lot longer than we would have had it not been so comfy! It's been two weeks since his surgery, the surgeon said he's doing remarkably well, and he's been given a little more freedom to move about. Guess what? After letting him out this afternoon so he could move into the adjacent room which is carpeted and contains two older hundred-dollar-beds that we restuffed, he chose instead to return to his Big Barker bed! We are impressed with the quality and construction of our Big Barker giant bed with headrest (...which they use adorably!) and are very happy we made this purchase. Yes, it was expensive, but the beds we had been buying weren't cheap and those wore out. We even ordered memory foam mattresses and egg crate foam (again, not cheap) and cut that down to restuff a couple of beds hoping to get a bit more use out of them. With Big Barker offering an unheard of 10 year warranty, this bed will likely outlive many of the dogs for whom it's purchased. We'll be buying another Big Barker as soon as those other beds we have go flat ...or I get tired of stuffing, rotating and flipping them. ;) Update: Since our original purchase of the GIANT Big Barker bed reviewed above (which is still as full and supportive as ever), we've expanded our collection. We bought an XL bed with headrest for our dog with knee problems to use downstairs and stacked the two existing ortho beds for our mastiff. It seems that even two regular beds can't compete with the comfort of a Big Barker though as she would find ways to get him off the new bed so she could steal his spot. The only solution was to order another XL bed, our 3rd Big Barker in 9 months! It's a huge testament to a product when your oversized lap dog chooses to lie on his bed in another room over laying with you on the couch, but that's exactly what happens most nights. We highly recommend Big Barker and look forward to more products from this company! Read more