Our Dogs Kept Cool In The Hottest Weather Thanks To The Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed

There’s nothing more uncomfortable than being too hot, especially for your dog (since pups can’t sweat it off like you can).

We’ve always been intrigued by cooling beds — raised, usually mesh pet beds that claim to keep dogs cool by promoting air circulation — but we didn’t know if they’d actually work (it sounded too good to be true)!

So when we got the chance to test out the Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed — one of the most popular items in the Amazon Basics pet line — we decided to put it to the actual test by running it by our panel of Paw of Approval dog testers living in New York, Texas and California in the summer.

Did this bed actually work? And would it actually give our pups some sweet relief from lying on the hot ground?

Turns out it worked better than we ever could have expected! Thanks to the raised design and the super strong, breathable mesh, we loved this elevated pet bed — and we’re thrilled to give it our Paw of Approval.

But read on to find out all the details of why we’re raving about it.

The Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed is a cot-style bed that’s raised 7 inches off the ground, so your BFF doesn’t have to lie down directly on the hot ground.

This pet bed is made with a breathable vinyl-coated polyester mesh fabric. Between the material and the lofted design, the Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed is supposed to encourage cool air to flow around it.

According to the company, the iron frame is nice and sturdy, but also lightweight, and it's supposed to be really easy to assemble.

The Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed is available in several sizes:

It also comes in two different colors, grey and green.

The price point was a big win with our reviewers. The Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed starts at just $21 for the small dog model. And even though the cost increases with the size, all of our pet parents felt this bed was perfectly priced.

We picked four office dogs as judges who are spending the summer in some of the hottest parts of the country and were looking for a cool spot to sit during the warm weather.

There were a bunch of pros we noticed when testing the Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed that made us — and our dogs — fall in love.

The raised design of the Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed is great for keeping our dogs off the hot ground, but our pups thought the best part was how comfy it was to lie on.

“We've given the Amazon Basics Elevated Cooling Pet Bed a permanent spot under our tree in the shade, which gives Squash his own spot in the yard,” dog parent Conor Spicer told The Dodo.

It even became some of our pups’ preferred bed.

“We put this bed in our patio, and the dogs lay on it every single time they were out there, choosing it over our other bed,” pup parent Melanie Demi told The Dodo. “They’ve all been lying on it for weeks now and they love it!”

While we were initially worried the bed looked too hard since it isn’t padded, the mesh is way more comfortable than it looks — and even our senior pup approved.

“With a large-breed dog and a senior dog, supporting their joints is very important to me,” Demi said. “I was worried this bed was going to be too stiff for them, but they seem to absolutely love it!”

“At first, Squash had some hesitancy to jump up on the bed,” Spicer said. “After a day of leaving it out for him, he started using it heavily.”

One of our judges did need a minute to get used to the raised bed, since it was so different from what she was used to, but she enjoyed it once she figured out it was hers.

“Once I built it, I told my dog to jump on, but Tina wouldn't stay for long,” dog parent Andrea Devoto told The Dodo. “The next day, I put it outside, and she started putting her ball on it for me to throw it. I took the ball, threw it and then told her to hop on the elevated bed. She then laid down and chilled on it for a while.”

Our pet parents were thoroughly impressed with how durable the Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed proved to be, especially since it could support a lot of weight and hold up against those dog nails.

“Considering the bed has had 175 pounds of dog on it at once and provided great support, I love the quality of this bed,” Demi said. “The bed didn’t sag in the middle like other elevated beds, and the material has held up [to] my Great Dane’s very pointed nails.”

It doesn’t just hold up against heavy pups, but energetic ones, too.

“The item is solidly built, easy to put together and a simple design,” Spicer said. “The item is super strong — able to stand the abuse of Squash's antics.”

The size also gave our pups plenty of space to lie out, stretch and get extra comfy.

“The bed is huge,” Demi said. “Perfect for Great Danes, multiple big dogs or just any dog that likes to sprawl. At first I was concerned about the weight of my dogs being too much for the bed, since there’s no middle support other than the four corner legs, but I was impressed at how well it holds my pups!”

Our human testers also thought the sleek design looked good in their homes, and the frame was really easy to manage and move around.

“The design fits great in our yard or living room, and it's not too intrusive,” Spicer said. “We are able to set it outside for him on hot days — then store away easily in a closet when we're not using.”

And it’s lightweight enough that you can switch up your pup’s spot (which can be helpful as the sun moves throughout the day).

“The design is very minimal, which I like, and it's not heavy at all. I move it around all the time,” Devoto said. “I like that I can break it apart and store away if I needed to.”

While we really liked this bed, there’s some room for improvement.

The sizes are perfect for our pups, but that also means the Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed can take up a lot of space if you have a larger pup.

“The item is LARGE, which is great for the size of our dog, but it would be great if there were hinges to allow for easier stowing,” Spicer said.

One of our pet parents would’ve also liked a bit more variety in design.

“The only ‘con’ I have for this bed is that I wish it came in more colors,” Demi said.

With only these very minor complaints, all of our human judges said they’d continue using the Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed, and would definitely recommend it to other pet parents.

Make sure to put this bed in a shady spot if you can — since its cooling design won’t work as well if it’s in glaring sun.

“It does keep my dog cool, but I have to make sure it is not in a sunny spot,” Devoto said. “I think that if it fit in the shady spots of the balcony, Tina would be on it all day.”

At first, we were skeptical since our dog judges were scattered across some of the hottest parts of the U.S. and dealing with some really intense summer heat. But we were so impressed and pleasantly surprised that they stayed cool and comfortable on these elevated beds, even in high temperatures.

Our Cali reviewer was able to beat the heat with this dog bed.

“In using this product, Squash was able to get more time in the shade,” Spicer said. “It also serves as a great spot for him to hoard all of his toys (and our running shoes). So far, the item has kept him much cooler on hot California days.”

Our Texas pups were also able to keep cool under the hot summer sun.

“This bed has been Texas-dog-approved in the middle of the summer,” Demi said. “The mesh is thick but still breathable enough to help keep my dogs cool during the summer.”

The mesh material isn’t just breathable — it’s also super strong and doesn’t cave or puncture even under some of our heftiest pups, which is great for the affordable price.

So despite some minor setbacks, each reviewer found this bed to be so comfortable that it became their dogs’ new favorite sleeping spot.

So overall, we’re thrilled to give the Amazon Basics Cooling Elevated Pet Bed our official Paw of Approval and recommend it to any pet parent looking to keep their pup cool on a hot day.