As a pet parent to a dog, there's a good chance that you've allowed your furry friend to share your bed at least once during your time together. Whether it was a particularly stormy night, your pup was ill, or you both needed a little comfort, there's nothing wrong with sharing a bed with your furry companion every now and again. However, imagine what life would be like if you had eight rescue dogs vying for a pillow.
Meet Chris and Mariesa Hughes. A doting couple from upstate New York, Chris and Mariesa often attempted to share their bed with their seven rescue dogs, and failed miserably. "At nighttime all of the dogs want to sleep on the bed and sometimes it becomes too cluttered," Chris explained to Today.com. "We [ended] up being pushed off of the bed or sleeping on the couch."
As founders of The Mr. Mo Project, a nonprofit that rescues sick and elderly dogs from shelters – and the prospect of euthanasia – and places them in loving new foster homes with bills and medical care paid for, it will come as no surprise that the couple has a lot of pups.
Despite the number of furry bodies to snuggle up against, Chris and Mariesa were reluctant to turn any of their four-legged friends away from the bed, and so hit upon an idea of epic proportions: a giant bed that would comfortably accommodate the whole family – paws, tails, and all.
The behemoth of a bed comprises two mattresses – one king-sized mattress up top, and a full-sized mattress turned sideways underneath – and measures almost 14 feet long and seven feet wide, with a six-feet-tall headboard. That's twice as wide as the average bed, and a whole foot longer. The bed took six months to build, and also features a set of steps for any of the dogs unable to climb or jump onto the bed. It was custom made by fellow dog lover Mike Ford.
These days, Chris and Mariesa love nothing more than bedtimes, and each pup has their own spot on the bed. Since the blueprints for the bed were created, a further dog has joined the clan – that's eight, plus two pet parents, in all. We can only imagine how warm and soft bedtime is in the Hughes household!
Do you share your bed with a furry friend? Share you bedtime stories with us in the comment section below.
Photo ©The Hughes Family/The Mr. Mo Project