A few years ago when I was visiting Thailand, I learned the secret of the straw beach mats: they are easy to carry, dry really quickly, and super cheap (mine cost less than $1!). I was beyond excited to take mine home at the end of my trip where it lived in my kitchen apartment as a type of indoor/outdoor rug.
Though my enthusiasm didn't stop there. Through a quick online search for 'straw beach mats' I found I could
buy a whole stock of them for about $4 a mat. And they work perfectly for our dog activities.
When we eat outside with the pups we will bring a mat so they are protected from the hot pavement, dusty sidewalks, and they have a defined place to lay so they won't walk around.
We brought one to t
he Pride Parade to 'reserve' a space for the dogs and make sure they didn't feel too crowded (you can
see a better view in Mr B's video here) :
And for a time, we even had several lined up on our deck. We liked that these made it comfortable for us to walk outside barefoot: they kept the decking from getting too hot and our feet from getting dirty. They also dry really quickly after it rains, so it's still comfortable for the pups to go outside and lay without getting wet.
The foldable beachmats are not as durable, so we did upgrade a bit picked up the plastic version from World Market so it looks more like a rug. These versions last at least a year or two, and sometimes we like to layer them:
Miss M especially likes how she matches.
Also:
Our other choices for outdoors
Cafe dining with dogs
Urban backyards
13 comments:
Wow! I never thought about using those for dog mats. I bet they do work great. I'm going to have to try that out.
I love the patterns on the plastic ones! We don't have World Market here, but I'll have to keep my eye out for something like that!
What a great idea. Mom plans to get one for us
Benny & Lily
Such an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing...I will definitely have to try this out.
Oooooooooooooh! I never thought of using something for hot pavements! DUH! Great idea! Thanks!
This is a great idea! Lucy likes to make a nest before she sets her delicate toukas on the ground, so towels are usually an option for a short while until she tears a hole or pulls them a part.I'm going to give this a try! Thanks!
Hmm I think I might have to try that on our deck. We have a dog bed, but I'm thinking those might do well in front of the door cause our trex boards get really hot in the sun.....thanks for the tip!
In the last photo, does Miss M realize Mr B is on the couch?
I've been looking into different things that are easy to pack/carry but also comfortable for Corbin to relax on when we take him with us to dinner. We didn't have anything for him on our last trip, we we cut dinner early because I felt bad he was uncomfortable. I'll have to look into these! I was also thinking of finding a cheap yoga mat. A lot of the "pet" products aren't large enough for Corbin.
-Corbin's momma, Jenn
Looks like I have a trip to World Market in my future!
Looks much better than my ratty dog rug. Good idea!
Love that first photo - gorgeous!
I have a mat that gets carried around with us when my humans take me out to cafes & places...but in my case, we used a Pet Futon as I'm a much bigger, heavier doggie (150lbs) and I need a bit of "padding" to get comfortable on hard ground! ;-)
Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane
I love how peaceful Mr. B looks sleeping on the sofa in that last picture. Definitely picking up some straw mats this weekend.
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