Our Story

Hi Everyone, my name is Holly and I am the founder of Designed for Dogs.

I live in a pretty village on the edge of the stunning Lincolnshire Wolds with my 2 dogs, 3 horses and hubby Joe!

I grew up in Gloucestershire then Bedfordshire where my parents still live, before moving to Yorkshire to go to university where I gained a degree in Aviation Technology and Management.

I took a job in Lincolnshire working in airline Operations and loved it! I like to be busy and work well under pressure! I progressed quickly and became Operations Manager at just 25 overseeing the airlines schedule and charter flights. 

If I'm honest I only planned to stay a few years in Lincolnshire - then I met Joe at work and 12 years later we're still here! 

We both love the calm and tranquillity of rural life, it's the perfect escapism from a stressful day at work and there's nothing quite like walking the dogs on a crisp winters morning or riding the horses through the autumn stubble fields to relax & unwind!

After a decade in aviation it was time for a change - this coincided with us picking up our rescue pup, Rocky, in October 2016 and the start of Designed for Dogs!

THE LIGHTBULB MOMENT

Even through we already had dogs (we'd recently lost our first dog, and Buster was 2 at the time) I excitedly nipped out to get some puppy supplies including a little bed for Rocky. I just wanted something that I could easily take the cover off and wash if needed as he wasn't fully toilet trained.

I stood there looking at rows of dog beds and honestly none of them were what I was looking for.

- All the dog beds said they were machine washable but for all of them this meant putting the whole bed in the wash. Although I was only looking for a small bed I thought there's no way the larger sizes would fit in a washing machine!

- Most of them just didn't look nice, a lot had very bright cartoon-style covers, or were plain brown or black. 

- They felt poor quality. The beds started at £20 which is cheap, but if you have to regularly replace them if you can't clean them properly or they don't last because they are not well made it's a false economy.

As it was I left with a small plain black bed and an idea...and just a few weeks later when Rocky's little bed fell apart at the seams because of the poor quality fabrics and construction, planning for what would become Designed for Dogs was already well underway!

OUR MISSION TO MAKE A CHANGE

Designed for Dogs set about to create dog bedding that is:

Beautiful - with so many different textiles available there's no need to have an eyesore of a dog bed in your cosy sitting room

Practical - covers that can be removed and washed and replaced if needed without needing to throw away the whole bed. 

              - Durable covers that last for years with regular use and washing.

              - Optional waterproof liners that are really waterproof (many dog bed  liners aren't!), breathable to minimise the 'ballooning' effect of trapped air, and a quiet, non-rustle fabric. 

              - A range of sizes to suit all dogs 

Comfortable - most dog beds use a fraction of the filling that we put in our beds. This does make our beds more expensive, but also makes them more comfortable and for longer - they will last for years. Our beds are also heavier than most dog beds which makes them less likely to move or be dragged and played with by mischievous dogs!

OFFERING A MADE-TO-MEASURE SERVICE

Designed for Dogs is becoming renowned for making bespoke beds. As we know one size doesn't fit all!!

All our beds are made in-house by a small team of skilled seamstresses so we have the ability to adapt to create made-to-measure beds and customise them:                  

- Prefer poppers or Velcro instead of a zip, no problem! 

- Looking for a bed to fit under a counter or an odd-size/shape spot then we're the company that can do this for you.

ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS

By creating beds that last we can help to reduce waste going into landfill. 

Our inner cushions are made from recycled materials which is made up of foam off cuts from the luxury bed industry who produce the crumb filling that is used in our beds.

We work with suppliers in the UK to help reduce our carbon footprint and wherever possible we are using recycled materials in our packaging which includes the boxes, instructions cards and protective filling.

WHAT OUR FUTURE LOOKS LIKE

We have exciting new plans to move Designed for Dogs to a larger premises to enable us to make more beds and provide more employment in the local area. We have plans for some fantastic new products for dog & owner as well as seasonal designs.

Thank you to all our wonderful customers for helping us to make my dream come true and ensuring that doggies all over the UK are comfortable and happy in their snuggly Designed for Dog beds.

The next chapter awaits...

Thank you so much