Foothills Animal Shelter volunteer Ric Romano had a brilliant idea a year ago to help the many dogs he sees come through the shelter. He builds them comfy, yet sturdy, dog beds for their stay at FAS.
"I started this project with the help and funds from only a few volunteers," he says. He would like make more raised pet beds for all the kennels at the shelter, but it’s a daunting task. "To date, I have built about 60 beds. However, with the original beds, I noticed some dogs destroyed them as fast as I could make them."
Romano’s dog beds are very unique. He uses 1 1/4" PVC piping for the bed frame and legs, which keep the beds up off the hard kennel floor. After discovering the weak points the dogs found in the beds, Romano now put caps on the legs and is using a stronger fabric, but these things are costly. The fabric he prefers to use is 1000D Cordura. Everyone from volunteers and shelter staff say the dogs love the beds. The beds provide a comfortable place for the dogs to rest and even use them to seek refuge from the noise and concrete floors of the shelter kennels. For potential adopters, it is much more satisfying to see a dog curled up in one of Romano’s beds rather, than huddling on the cold, hard floor. However, Romano could use a little help.
"The bad news is I have to pay a nominal fee of $7 per yard for this stronger material. While I can make two beds per yard, the funds are running out," he says.
Ric says it takes about 45 minutes to build a bed from scratch. To recover a bed is only 20 minutes. He orders the PVC corner pieces through a company in Ohio and the end caps for the legs are from MCLS tool distributor. The fabric is the most expensive item, but he has been able to get donations. He says the corner pieces are also expensive. If he receives donated material, cost is about $15 per bed and if he has to pay for the material, the cost goes up to $20 per bed.
“I have been fortunate to have American Awning donate material whenever I need it,” he says, “At this time they have donated the equivalent of $5,000!” American Awning is located in Wheat Ridge. Unfortunately, the stronger Cordura he has to find elsewhere. Sometimes he is able to get secondary or off color pricing if he shops around.
His dog beds have proven so popular that other shelters are expressing interest. Currently Adams County would like some and local veterinarians have requested them too.
“However, time does not permit me to help them too,” Romano adds. This is where the public can help. He is looking for people interested in making the beds themselves. “[Anyone] can help to recover or build beds! If [anyone is] interested in the actual hands-on work, please let me know. In a very short time, I can show [anyone] how to do this work; it is really not very difficult at all.” He says it’s not hard to do with ordinary tools, but he has found air powered tools work best. He also uses screws to fasten the material to the frame because it is quicker and stronger than sewing.
If enough people show an interest, he might consider having “bed building” classes so others can learn how to do this on their own. He also has received interest from a shelter volunteer in San Francisco so his beds could be going nationwide.
“It would be great to see more people help out as the dogs truly love their beds. Just walk through [the shelter] and you will undoubtedly see them laying on them,” he says.
If you are interested in learning how to build a bed, contact Romano by calling 303-882-3982 or email americoromano@msn.com. Anyone interested in donating funds to help purchase materials for the beds can contact Caitlyn Ray, FAS Foundation Development Manager, at cray@fas4pets.org and be sure to mention your donation is for the dog beds. Donations are tax deductible.
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