I have used them in the past...the dogs never chewed them, even the dogs that usually tear up their beds! I think they just enjoyed the sensation of lying on a damp bed...because no matter how cool they start out, the heat from the dog's body takes the chill away fairly soon, and the dog is just lying on a damp pillow, sort of. If you fill the coolbed from a garden hose, the water's usually cold enough......but I convinced myself it was the dampness the dogs liked, more than the cold. The ones I used were commercially made...and it takes a few days for them to dry out after being used...when they're all dried out they take up almost no space. There are directions available for making your own, of course, but I never tried that. Over all, I found them messy but the dogs did seem to like them. I only used them for travel and at shows...think they're too messy to use at home. Peggy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bodangsd" <bodangsd@xxxxxxx> > So I have this new puppy and I live in Florida and I really want her to > keep some coat ,,, I went back a bit and saw the thread of cool mats for > the crates??? Sounds like just what I need,,, I have only a couple of > questions....1 .. Have any of you listers ever used them?/ Do they > work??,, and 2. The tap water in Florida doesnt exactly come out really > cold...There is no such thing,,, so is the port to fill it big enough to > shove ice cubes in ,,to keep the water inside a little cooler??? > Unforunatly my freezer is also not big enough to fit one to cool it > down... > and last but not least,,,is the sylicone or what ever is inside toxic at > all to the dogs???? I saw two sites,, One called Polor Mats,, and one > called Cool Mats.... Any help with this would be appreciated.... Thanks > in advance....Bonna > ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2011. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in any post. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================