I have 3-5 dogs here at all times...I keep the door closed...OR I do not put a good quilt on the bed...toe nails, are hard on any quilt!

I put my quilts in the dryer on air only to clean them up. Does not hurt them and gets rid of hair.

My best quilt is hung on the wall of the bedroom as we have the dogs on the bed with us too :)

At least all your pets sleep ON TOP of the quilts. Mine love to sleep in between the sheets with DH and I. The Yorkie is always at our feet. My female Toy Poodle is in-between DH and I and my other Toy Poodle (male) sleeps right next to me like we are "spooning". He's a mommas boy and I spoil him like crazy. He was my first fur kid so he gets what ever he wants:D. The sofa is their spot during the day, all day. The quilts get dirty but go straight to the wash.

We have a 5 lb Yorkie who sleeps on our bed every night. Yorkie's don't shed so dog hair is no problem. He also has a lap quilt that he sleeps on during the day which is on our couch. Guess it depends on the dog.

Pets and Quilts
 

I have three dogs on our bed and most of the time three cats as well, my quilts seem to fair just fine. I just have to wash them more often than most, but if the material is good, I can not see where that is a problem either. Good luck and thank you for being an animal lover also.:)

I was browsing books in the craft section at Barnes and Noble the other day and picked up a book called something like Crafting with Cat Hair. I thought it was a joke until I opened it up and saw photos of how to "harvest" the hair for later use! YUK!

On another note, we have two dogs. The bigger one, a 55 lb. Puggle (half pug half beagle) thinks that every afghan and quilt is HIS. I made a scrappy quilt this summer to use on our porch and when I brought it in he claimed it. It is now folded up in his dog bed. The little one - half chihuahua half crazy-haired terrier - loves to burrow and finds her way under every quilt in the house. We love them, so that's that. The quilts get washed and vacuumed inbetween washings and they hold up just fine.

I like the idea of making them a quilt to lay on at the foot of the bed. My dog has two quilts that are designed like sleeping bags. He's a Boston Terrier and loves to sleep inside blankets. He never leaves the one in front of the wood stove this time of year.

Hi to all, About quilts and dogs. I have a quilt I make about 20 some years ago. My dog(small) sleep with his mommy (me). I have only two small repairs. So, I could only put away a really good quilt away
My dog is the only one loyal to me

I have a 9 year old Lhasa and he rules Oliver who weights 60 lbs! He rules his bed (allows me to sleep in it, not Oliver). But my quilt during the day is covered in "his" spot with a large towel. He knows to stay on the towel during the day and quilt is removed at night. Ok - sometimes he may wander off but if he hears me coming he is fully on the towel :)

I put a sheet over my quilts. He seems to like sleeping on sheets. Some times he will undo the bed simply to sleep on the sheet by my pillow. My old quilts don't go on my bed anymore . They live in an old china cabinet now.

I made my kitty her own little matching quilt, same pattern and fabric as the quilt on the bed. She doesn't always sleep on IT, but it does help.

Same here. My quilts are built to be used, and they are washable. It's a good idea to shrink your batting however. My king size quilt shrunk substantially the first time I washed it. Bummer.

When I make a quilt, I want loved ones to use it! Gifted quilts are given with a note that they are completely washable and they are meant to be used, not "saved." Whether that means dragged around, used as a fort, laid on the lawn, whatever.

Of course, I feel the same way about ones in my home. And I love my cat. He can't help it that he doesn't know he's a cat, or understand that he has more fur than DH does. Actually, DH would probably like some of the fur - he's quickly going bald. So I say, use them and let your loved ones - whether they have 2 legs or 4 - use them, too.

My beardie used to sleep on the bed when we were away but now he cannot jump up onto the high bed. He is almost 14. I made him his very own "Bernie" quilt and placed over the bed quilt. Now he has it on the floor where he balls it up and sleeps on it whenever he wants. He is, afterall, the BOSS of the house.

my little doxie does this thing where he tries to fluff up the area where he wants to plop down (I'm sure many pets do this) but then he'll start to "dig" into that area too. He also bites at my quilt, fluffs it up, and it's still perfect. When he starts to dig into it, I ask him if he's testing my stitches LOL

I love all the pet stories!!! I waited a long time to get my pet and I'm so happy to have her!!!

My dog doesn't fluff - he squishes. only dog I've ever seen push the blankets down instead of fluffing them up

My dog sleeps on my bed all the time and it has not bother my quilt. I wash it quit often also. And this was my first one that I did

I have two very large dogs and one small cat. The dogs are a English Mastiff and a Great Dane totaling well over 300 lbs. All my animals are allowed to sleep on the bed. I have hand quilted quilts on my bed and have experienced no problems, but I do have a couple of special handquilted quilts with embroidery and beading that I will not put allowing the dogs to sleep on and only put on the bed if company is staying over.

Great idea, I think for my small dog that is getting on in years, it would need to be something like a small sleeping bag to keep him warm.

I have a 60 lb dog and a cat that sleeps with us most nights. I put the quilt in the dryer about once a month on air just to remove the hair. I have many quilts that I change out through the year, so they get to sleep on many different quilts.

We have 2 Shibas and a kitty and this is my practice too....they appreciate quilts so much, I make them to cover the furniture, wash them, 'de-hair' them when the dogs go through shedding, and rotate them for different seasons. The quilts too special for pets are hung as wallhangings or on quilt racks. Quilts hold up through many washings (I use a Shout Color Catcher for a time when first being washed). And, as you said, when the quilts get old, they'll be replaced! And, I bathe the dogs every 4-6 weeks or so and keep their nails trimmed too.

Four cats sleep with me and they allow me to sleep under their quilts.
The only problem so far is one cat who loves batting and will tear it up if I have it layered for quilting.
So any quilt thats pinned and layered must be hidden.
I must drop everything when they want attention and a lap or there will be hurt feelings. It is hard when there is only one person and 4 cats since they do compete for attention.

I have made DH two quilts in the past 18 years. The first is in pretty bad shape, lots of holes chewed by our two little dogs (Jack Russell mixes), but it is over 10 years old and I suspect the dogs chewed on it because we had another dog before them and it was a territory issue. The dogs don't have any interest in the new quilt (just over a year old). The quilt stays on the couch in the family room and they sit on it sometimes, but that doesn't hurt it. My quilts are nothing fancy, just made to keep my family warm and comfy.

No quilts on our beds--we have three different breeds of terriers and a Tibetan Spaniel--the terrorists are nesters/diggers and would probably destroy a quilt. Just hair--I wouldn't care.

))

Yes Our pets are family members

Dogs are allowed on bed only when I am not in it. hehe. They do tend to stretch out when they sleep or they will cuddle with each other with their legs wrapped around each other. They are so cute when they cuddle.

We have two cats that feel the entire house is theirs (and, of course, it is). They love my quilts - and most days and early evenings, they love the underside where they burrow for a short catnap before the bed is unmade and we go to bed for the evening. I keep quilt throws (I make special sizes) on my couches and chairs to keep as much cat hair out of the chair as possible, but they love to burrow under those as well. It sort of defeats the purpose. I have two or three older quilts made by my mother - hand quilted, hand appliqued, etc that I simply don't put on the beds because of the cats, but I have a quilt ladder that I can display them. I agree, if the quilt is worn out from loving use, it's enough reason to make another.

Our cocker spaniel sleeps on a machine appliqued quilt for 26 years and all it needs is frequent washing. I make my quilts to be used. It needs to be replaced as it is fading but it is solid.

I keep an old sheet over my bed, for them to lounge on.<o:p></o:p>
It has been so cold here for the past few years, and I turned my heat down to cut cost, doubled my clothes. But the floor is cold and small pets get cold. I want them to have a warm place to go, after the potty trip.<o:p></o:p>
I put a heating pad under their beds to keep them warm and they love it. I was only turning one side of my electric blanket on at night. Till I got tired of them sleeping on me! So I started turning both side on at night, now they sleep close not on top. <o:p></o:p>

I have 4 cats anf 2 Corgis that allow us, me and daughter, to live here. They all sleep on the beds although the cats on mine and dogs on Amy's who knows why. I have found that my quilts wash well, muddy paws and a 'skunking' will attest to that and should one of the cats miss the litter box and use the bed the best thing in the world is lemon juice. Put about a cup or so in the wash water and it takes away the odor. More of the mud is frequently from Amy's jeans after she has been in the barn and they, along with quilts, get the liquid detergent on the spots and perhaps a bit of hand scrubbing and all is well.

Our pets are not allowed on the bed, but my fawn pug loves to get up on the sofa to nap, so in self defense I purchased a thrift store quilt and made it a throw to keep down the dog hair since she sheds tons every day. I have to wash it about once a week, and although I see a little fading, for the most part it is doing well. I think our quilts are stronger than you think, I have 2 that my grandmother gave me in the 70's (you do the math) and a few squares are now shredded, but her quilts were from scraps and recycled clothing, and the squares that are shredded are the recycled clothing. She did simple patterns and hand quilted everything, and those quilts have had quite a few beach trips with my youngest son when he used to go surfing and took them. (I didn't know at the time till some surf wax got on one and I had to remove it. What a job that was.!!) The way I see it these days my pets are like 2 more children and they share what we have.:)

Share your so so quilts with pets on the bed. When they pass you wish you would of let them enjoy your quilts. I did with my little Kokoa and now she is gone and I never regreted it.

I put an old sheet on the bed the dogs and I sleep on. It comes off when I want the room to be showy. I bought king sized sheets for the beds the cats who adopted me--abandoned by someone and the cats, obviously litter mates, came to my door asking for help have appropriated. Everything can be washed and the quilts I care about are safe. froggyintexas

I have a quilt I made from the fabric that was my Grandma's. It's just 4 inch squares sewn together and it's tied...not quilted. I've washed it probably 50 times and it's handled all of that along with 2 dogs (medium size dogs) and a cat on it. I wouldn't put a family heirloom on my bed, or one I didn't want damaged, because you never know what could happen.

I've found that a doggie quilt made of corduroy holds up better for the dogs. My fur baby has taken over the sofa and sometimes her nails will make a hold she then widens but the corduroy holds up to her nails.

ditto!!!!! 2 cats 1 doxie.....