I thought I was doing my big old dog a kindness buying him this very expensive bed to rest his sore joints on; however, for reasons unbeknownst to me, he will not lay on this bed and no amount of coaxing or pleading will change his mind. I've tried putting a plush blanket on top since as others have mentioned, the surface isn't as soft as some, but to no avail. He has slept on the ground since I got this for him two months ago and I've had to live with the nagging guilt knowing he has a ruptured ligament and arthritis. Unfortunately, I threw his old bed out. I've finally accepted the inevitable and purchased a cheap bed just like his old one. Hopefully I'll have a future dog who will appreciate this quality one. In fairness to the bed, I tried it out myself to see what the problem might be and found no fault with it and two of my smaller dogs have taken turns on this bed, but the big dog it was meant for won't touch it. I'm wondering if it's too firm for him or perhaps he has an aversion to plaid? No idea. Anyway, it's a nice looking well-made bed, but if your dog is happy with his cheap bed, you might want to rethink an upgrade and save yourself a hundred bucks.