Man Builds His Elderly Dog Air-Conditioned Bed So She Can Stay Cool On Hot Days
He wanted something to keep her from digging up the garden too.
Hot weather prompted this pet parent to make his dog a DIY air-conditioned bed to not only keep her cool but also to save his garden. Will explains that his house doesn’t have air conditioning so when his very sweet 13-year-old dog, Kamakazi, wants to get cool she will go outside and try and lay in the cool dirt.
This means she “digs up my flower bed to get to the cool dirt on hot days,” Will explains. “She makes a huge mess of things.” This prompted him to build her the special bed. With simple materials he had around the house – fans, PVC pipes and frozen water battles – this is how he built it!
First, here’s how the finished product turned out. It looks like Kamakazi took to it right away!
Will started by using 1 x 6 wooden boards for the frame/plenum. Next he cut out the holes and fit the 4″ PVC piping for the air inlet. He didn’t need to use anything to fasten or glue the pipe to the frame because they fit very snuggly.
Will took an old PC power supply and mounted it to the frame. He then added the fans to the inside of the air inlet.
Here is the frame/plenum, power supply, fans, and cooling duct inlet all in place.
He finished the cooling duct by using a T fitting and wrapping it around the corner of the frame. Then he drilled a couple of holes and used some long zip-ties to hold the pipe to the frame. He also got some mesh plant shade material from a home improvement store and some fabric fasteners to secure it to the frame.
Next he stretched the fabric REALLY tight across the frame and secured it with the fabric fasteners. The fabric had to be super tight because his dog is over 100 pounds. “Also, it will stretch over time and it has to suspend the dog off the ground,” Will explains. “Staples won’t work. Don’t even try. Use the fasteners.”
To get the cooling effect, he loaded the tube with frozen water battles. The T fitting on the corner gives him a second cooling port to load up with frozen water bottles.
How does it actually work on cooling the air? The fans draw air through the port with the vents and the ice bottles cool the air. Will describes it as a “simple swamp cooler.”
Will is satisfied with the end product and his dog is too! The bed cools the air by about 10 degrees and provides a nice breeze on Kamakazi’s tummy. “She likes it and the hammock-like bed is super comfy for her old bones.”
Will works with electricity for a living so was comfortable with wiring everything and making this cool bed. What a great solution to help make his dog more comfortable on a hot day!
The new air conditioned bed isn’t just for Kamakazi though, Will’s other dog Bonsai uses the new bed too, “Both my labs love it. As soon as one gets off to go take a pee, the other swoops in and takes it over. Move your feet, lose your seat.”
When Kamakazi isn’t outside having fun in yard (and enjoying her new bed), she and her sister Bonsai relax inside. Will took this picture of the two, “They are not allowed on the couch…unless mom is out of town.”
Photos and story reprinted on DogHeirs with permission from Will.
Looking for other ways to keep your dogs cool in the summer? Try making them doggie pupsicles or doggie ice cream. Or take a look at these 12 must have summer items to keep your dog cool.
