My dog, Darcy, loved her beds. As long as she had a cozy place to rest near her people, she was happy — especially after she went blind at around 6 years old.
So when I got the chance to test the Lola Dog Bed, saying yes was a no-brainer. Lola Blankets,
a family company that launched in 2021 with blankets for people before expanding into pet products, promises “life-changing softness” thanks to its patented faux fur and orthopedic foam mattress.
For the past few years, Darcy had been sleeping in a smelly, too-small donut bed that was literally being held together by duct tape and sheer will. It was falling apart at the seams, but Darcy refused to give it up.
The Lola bed gave me the perfect excuse to finally toss it and move my sweet senior girl into something cleaner, comfier and hopefully just as beloved. I couldn’t wait to watch her enjoy an orthopedic foam mattress, supportive raised sides and OEKO-TEX certified faux fur, especially since she’d recently been dealing with back pain.
Normally, I wouldn’t spend $345 on a bed for a 24-pound dog. But Darcy had given our family so much love and joy over the years. She deserved the world — or, at the very least, a ridiculously luxurious place to nap.
Opening the enormous cardboard box, my jaw dropped as I began to unpack all the vacuum sealed components. Thick, heavy pillow inserts and a very soft but weighty faux fur cover. The instructions recommended letting the bed fully expand for 72 hours after assembly — as long as a human memory foam mattress.
Once fully assembled, the Lola Dog Bed was heavy and took up a fair amount of premium floor space in our Brooklyn apartment. But when I placed Darcy on top of it and watched her sink into the plush mattress, her back firmly supported by the wall of the bed, I was pretty sure it was all worth it.
And when she didn’t leave the bed for the rest of the day, I knew it was. I felt zero regrets tossing her old bed in the trash.
But would a younger, more active dog love a Lola Dog Bed just as much? And would he use it enough to justify the price tag?
To find out, I enlisted my neighbor Milo, a laid-back 5-year-old Cockapoo, who is as happy playing in the park as he is receiving copious belly rubs while watching TV with his family. He enjoys having a comfortable place to rest, but doesn’t need a special bed to soothe anxiety or achy joints.
“He usually goes from one bed to another throughout the day or lies on the hardwood floor when it’s too hot for a squishy bed,” Milo’s mom, Julie Baron, told The Dodo. “We’ve got a bed in the window and usually one on the floor in our office.”
I warned Baron that the bed might appear comically large — and heavy — for a dog Milo’s size. Still, according to Lola’s website, the medium is recommended for pets weighing between 20 and 45 pounds, putting 25-pound Milo within range.
When I dropped it off, Baron took one look and insisted they’d test it for a week before passing it along to another dog. “My initial reaction was, ‘Holy crap! That bed is enormous. How is that an appropriate item for a 25-pound dog?’” Baron said. “‘It’s heavy and bulky and not a great fit for New York apartment living. We’ll borrow it, but no chance we’ll keep it.’”
For the first 24 hours, it seemed Baron was right: Milo wasn’t a fan of his Lola bed. He seemed to want to rest anywhere but inside it — even leaving the room to avoid looking at it.
Of course, Milo’s a dog and doesn’t know that the Lola Bubble Pet Bed, released on June 30, is the latest in luxury pet sleep systems — or that it retails for $375. He didn’t realize he was being spoiled. But his human sister caught on immediately.
After spotting his sister happily curled up in the fluffy new bed, Milo began to reconsider. At first, the two snuggled in it together, but before long, Milo was settling in all by himself.
“Surreptitiously, I’d walk in and find him happily snuggled with his body curled up in the shape of the bed, one foot tucked under the elevated rim and often with his face poking out," Baron said. "I now see him in there most of the day when it isn’t too hot in the house to enjoy it … He’s in there now.”
After a week of testing, Milo's Lola Bubble Pet Bed was not going anywhere.
“My kids were aghast at the idea that we would even consider getting rid of it,” Baron said. “They love it as much as Milo does. Our daughter lays in there with him reading. Even our son, who is never particularly excited about dog-related things, has been found kneeling in there to give Milo some scratches. My husband took one look at it and grimaced when it first came in. But, he too, has grown to see the appeal.”
The bed was such a hit that Baron’s daughter wanted something of her own: “Our daughter loved it so much that she insisted we get a matching blanket for her bed," Baron added. "She was due for a new one.”
The takeaways:
- If your dog falls between sizes — or prefers a snug sleeping space — consider sizing down. The website lists detailed measurements, which can also help you determine whether the bed will fit comfortably in your home.
- Give your pet time to adjust, especially if it’s summer or they’re used to a different style of bed.
- I highly recommend washing the cover before use to remove any loose fibers, particularly if your dog tends to lick their bed for comfort or out of anxiety. Wash it in cold water, hang it to dry and briefly tumble it in the dryer to restore its fluffiness. I tested this myself, and the cover came out looking and feeling just as soft as before.
- Dogs need very little to be happy. Your love and care is more important than any item, but if you are looking for a quality bed, we recommend the Lola.
