dog cot

I've been feeling awful the past few days.  The weather in Texas has been beautiful, but it's kicking my butt with allergies and sinus headaches. I feel better today.

I've been working on making a dog cot based on instructions at the Columbus Dog Connection website. I'm only doing it because I can't find the size cot I need. I want it to fit in doggie's crate. Working through my headache, I finished it yesterday.  The project has taken a while, with the first step being to order the corner pieces on August 24 of this year.

The prices posted on their website wasn't true for me.  My materials cost (taxes included):
     $ 7.76          1 1/4" PVC pipe (2 @ $3.88)
     $10.00          fabric (1 yard)
     $11.67         3-way corner (4 @ $1.67 + $4.99 shipping)
     $5.15           screws and washers (20 each ... I bought more than my estimated 4 screws per corner)
So the material cost of the dog cot is actually around $35.

The finished bed is 23 x 38 inches. I used the sewing option. I think the screws they recommended are called lath screws. I saw a box of them for around $8 but opted to buy a smaller quantity of round head self-tapping screws and #8 washers. If I were making more than one bed or if I didn't opt for the sewing, I'd go for the box.

I found an awning place near my house and the guy pulled exactly one yard of the material (it was the end of the roll) and quoted $10 flat.  We made the exchange on the spot.  The best price I could find online was $15 total for material and shipping. Local was so much better. Its color is what I call "awning green" ... basically kelly green, I think.

I have some Spectra 65-pound fishing line from back when I was trying to dog-proof one of the other dog beds, so I did the sewing with that instead of going out to buy a more appropriate thread.  Hopefully it will work for the long run.

Despite the material giving me enough tension to make putting in the final cot corner difficult, it still sags more than I'd prefer. Looks like the screw-on version would've given a tighter fit than the sewing version. But it works okay. I makes quite a bit of noise as the fabric rotates about the pipes when you shift weight on it. Doggie has been using it in his crate since yesterday and seems to be doing fine. The cot fits through the crate door; I can easily take it out for cleaning.  I'd like to give it padding someday, perhaps lashing it to the frame such that doggie can't get to the edges for chewing.

I was so anxious to put the cot to use that I didn't take pictures.