Roadie has always been a fan of a good dog bed. He is also a fan of Mom and Dad’s bed, the couch, hotel beds, blankets, rugs and, on occasion, whatever questionable patch of floor he decides looks comfortable. So when it came time to replace his longtime dog bed, we weren’t simply looking for something soft. We wanted something that would actually support him.

At more than 70 pounds, Roadie needs a bed that can cushion his body without allowing him to sink all the way down to the floor. After years of enthusiastic use had taken a toll on his previous orthopedic bed, we decided to try the Top Paw® Orthopedic Memory Foam Quilt Mattress Dog Bed.

And Roadie, our Chief Testing Officer, had a very immediate opinion.

When A Good Dog Bed Loses Its Support

Roadie’s previous bed was a Sealy dog bed with the familiar raised ridge around the outside. We liked that feature because it gave him somewhere to rest his head, while also allowing him to hang his head over the edge when he wanted to sleep that way.

The problem wasn’t the design. It was time.

That bed had been through years of puppy enthusiasm, including zoomies that ended with Roadie rushing onto it, digging into the mattress to get comfortable, dropping treats on it and generally treating it like his personal combination bedroom, playground and snack bar.

Eventually, the orthopedic support began to wane.

What was once a supportive mattress had become a fairly flat egg-crate surface inside the cover. Roadie could still sleep on it, but it wasn’t providing the elevated, supportive feel we wanted for him anymore.

That sent us looking for something different.

Why We Chose The Top Paw Mattress

We landed on the Top Paw Orthopedic Memory Foam Quilt Mattress Dog Bed, which uses high-density memory foam intended to support joints and pressure points.

We also chose the large rather than the extra large.

Roadie has surpassed the 70-pound mark and could certainly stretch out comfortably on an XL, but our excessive travel makes space a consideration. The large gives him enough room to spread out without leaving a lot of extra mattress around him.

For us, that makes it a better fit not only for our home but for the reality that Roadie’s bed may need to travel with us.

Roadie Didn’t Need Much Convincing

Some dogs need to investigate a new bed.

Roadie apparently does not.

He jumped onto the mattress, laid down and relaxed almost immediately. He even brought his new Kong Knots toy with him, which is generally a pretty good indication that he’s decided a location is worth keeping.

What we noticed from across the room was more important, though.

He looked supported.

His bony elbows, for example, settled into the mattress rather than seeming to press straight through it. He wasn’t wobbling or constantly shifting his position to find somewhere comfortable to land.

The mattress was soft, even when we sat on it ourselves, but Roadie’s weight didn’t flatten it to the floor. He remained elevated and supported in a way that reminded us much more of a human mattress than a typical plush dog bed.

That was exactly what we had been looking for.

Soft, But Still Supportive

There is a difference between a bed that is simply cushy and one that provides actual support.

The Top Paw mattress has a soft sleep surface, but Roadie doesn’t disappear into it. The memory foam gives under his weight while still keeping him elevated above the hard floor.

For a larger dog, that’s one of the things we appreciate most about it.

He can settle into the surface without losing the support underneath him, and we can see that his weight is being distributed rather than concentrated in a few pressure points.

We’re not veterinarians, and we’re not going to pretend a dog bed can solve orthopedic problems. But as a matter of everyday comfort, the difference between Roadie’s old, flattened bed and this one was easy for us to see.

Then Came The Bedtime Test

The first few evenings gave us an even better indication of how Roadie felt about his new bed.

His normal routine involves spending at least an hour trying to convince Mom and Dad that he belongs in our bed before eventually settling down somewhere else.

With the new bed, there was no negotiation.

He got comfortable and went to sleep quickly and soundly.

That isn’t exactly a scientific study, but when your dog voluntarily abandons his nightly campaign to sleep with you, you notice.

We also learned that Roadie apparently has another sleep setting: eyes partially open.

If you see the photo of him sleeping and think he looks a little… unsettling, don’t be alarmed. He’s asleep. He can simply be a creepy sleeper.

We’re pretty sure he’s dreaming peacefully and not actually monitoring our every move.

Pretty sure.

A Cover Made For Real-Life Dog Use

The mattress has a soft, fur-like sleep surface, and we selected a darker color for Roadie.

That’s partly because we liked it, but mostly because Roadie is a black mixed-breed dog who sheds what sometimes feels like an entire additional dog every week.

His bed gets plenty of that evidence.

The cover is machine washable, which is an important feature for us. Between Roadie’s shedding, outdoor adventures, travel and the occasional mystery crumb, being able to remove and wash the cover makes the bed much more practical for everyday use.

Our only minor disappointment is that the bed isn’t available in black. Still, the darker color we chose works well, and Roadie clearly isn’t concerned with matching his bedding to his coat.

Where We Bought It

The Top Paw Orthopedic Memory Foam Quilt Mattress Dog Bed is available at PetSmart in multiple sizes.

We purchased the large for $59.99, you can view the product here.

The price is worth mentioning because part of what made this a compelling replacement for us was getting a substantial mattress that works for a 70-plus-pound dog without requiring a giant bed that becomes difficult to manage when we’re traveling.

Our Tried & Tested Verdict

The biggest difference between Roadie’s old bed and the Top Paw Orthopedic Memory Foam Quilt Mattress is that this one actually feels like a mattress.

It is soft enough for Roadie to settle into, but substantial enough to keep him elevated and supported. The large gives him plenty of room to stretch out while remaining practical for travel, and the washable cover is a feature we’re going to appreciate even more as time goes on.

Most importantly, Roadie didn’t need to be convinced.

He jumped on it. He brought his toy. He stretched out. And he went to sleep.

For our Chief Testing Officer, that’s about as strong an endorsement as we’re going to get.