Cribs For K9’s

Brady and Kennedy wanted to make beds for dogs in shelters. However to donate one, it can be expensive. The conventional dog beds can be up to $79 a bed. They knew most people would want to help, but it could be done in a much simpler way.

Their idea behind using old crib mattresses for dog beds was simpler. First, because they are free to donate. Anyone can do it. Secondly, they are plastic. So they are easy to be washed, which makes it easier on the workers, rescuers, or owners who are providing care to the dogs. Dog beds can be difficult to wash, especially if they are large, but with a plastic mattress they would only need to be sprayed and wiped off.

After their idea was fully thought out, Brady and Kennedy created a Facebook page for Cribs For K9s. They wanted the page to look professional and catch people’s attention, so they made a logo as well as a banner for the page. They used the page to post updates on our progress with donations as well as facts about homeless dogs. This kept people interested in the project.

Then, Brady and Kennedy contacted various shelters, rescues, and animal hospitals about receiving beds.

For this step, they sent out emails to different locations explaining what Cribs For K9s was. In the emails was an attached image of Kennedy’s dog laying on a crib mattress as an example for them to get an idea of what it would look like and to show how much dogs really do enjoy them.

Next, they scheduled donation pickup dates.

The process of arranging pickups with everyone who wanted to donate and actually picking the beds up took a lot of time. There was no limit for the distance for people who had mattresses to give, even if they were over an hour away. There were donations from Edina, Eden Prairie, New hope, Princeton and Elk River. Although none of these were very close to Brady or Kennedy, they still drove out to pick up any and all donations.

One of the last steps were cleaning the beds and sewing homemade sheets.

Before donating the beds, Brady and Kennedy wanted to make sure they were all in good, clean condition. To insure this, each mattress was thoroughly cleaned. They also bought fleece to make sheets for all the beds. Although neither knew how to use a sewing machine, Kennedy’s grandma did! She was a huge help in this process as she sewed sheets for each mattress. This made a big difference when donating the mattresses because then the shelters didn’t have to worry about finding sheets or blankets to fit the beds.

“It is a very simple, yet smart idea to use for kennels in the Humane Societies.” – Brady and Kennedy

https://sites.google.com/site/cribsfork9s/ed-activities