Woman turns old dressers into cozy personalized dog beds

She likes to provide pets with a "'safe haven'" that they can sleep happy in.”

ByABC News
November 17, 2017, 11:04 AM

— -- These aren’t your typical dog beds. Behold the “Sheltie shacks.”

Kaylee Robertson, an emergency medical technician from Shetland, Scotland, makes custom, personalized dog beds out of old dressers.

PHOTO: Robertson deconstructs and re-backs all the dressers so they are pieces "people are happy to display as the centerpiece of the room."
Robertson deconstructs and re-backs all the dressers so they are pieces "people are happy to display as the centerpiece of the room."

She said she likes to “provide pets with their own little ‘safe haven’ that they can sleep happy in.”

“Let’s be honest, your typical dog bed is pretty ugly!” Robertson, 27, wrote to ABC News in an email. “They're normally these limp, dull, lifeless, smelly things that just lie in the corner. My hope is that by providing a bed which is also a piece of furniture, the dog is introduced more into the living area.”

PHOTO: Kaylee Robertson said she likes to "provide pets with their own little 'safe haven' that they can sleep happy in."
Kaylee Robertson said she likes to "provide pets with their own little 'safe haven' that they can sleep happy in."

She said her Sheltie shacks have also proven great for more nervous pets who feel more secure in the cave-like bed.

Robertson said she makes only about 30 a year because she likes doing “quality” work and doesn’t want to “shove something shoddy together.”

“Every bed is completely deconstructed, sanded down and re-backed,” she explained. “I also put on several coats of high-quality base coat before even thinking about the top coat. This should be something that lasts, and more importantly, a piece that people are happy to display as the centerpiece of the room.”

PHOTO: These aren't your typical dog beds. Behold the "Sheltie Shacks."
These aren't your typical dog beds. Behold the "Sheltie Shacks."

An owner of seven dogs and two cats herself, Robertson said she has made the beds primarily for dogs, but they can be used for all pets.

“I've had an order for a bunny in the past!,” she wrote. “I'm limited to the size of the shack depending on the cabinet I convert from but, honestly, I've pretty much provided for every shape of pup so far from Chihuahuas to pugs to border collies! Although, I haven’t yet managed one for a St. Bernard. That’s my dream!”

Every single shack is “bespoke,” she explained, so when it’s purchased, Robertson said she contacts the owner to find out exactly how they want to personalize it -- from the paint color and wallpaper inside right down to the knobs.

“It’s great fun and I absolutely love seeing what people come up with!,” she said.

PHOTO: Kaylee Robertson, an EMT from Shetland, Scotland, makes the custom, personalized pet beds out of old dressers.
Kaylee Robertson, an EMT from Shetland, Scotland, makes the custom, personalized pet beds out of old dressers.

As an emergency medical technician, Robertson said making the beds are therapeutic for her after “some pretty horrific days.”

“Having some time to clear my head with a hammer or a paintbrush has been great,” she told ABC News.

PHOTO: As an emergency medical technician, she said making the beds are therapeutic for after "some pretty horrific days."
As an emergency medical technician, she said making the beds are therapeutic for after "some pretty horrific days."

Although Robertson lives on a small island off the coast of Scotland, she said she’s willing to ship anywhere in the world.

She also said she donates all of her proceeds to charity.

“Most people don’t realize that this is a charity project,” she said. “I don’t make anything from this. In fact I actually take a loss because I don’t take money out for the materials. I’m constantly asked, ‘Why don’t you just take the money for yourself?’ and it makes me sad.

“Yeah sure, I'm not driving around in a Ferrari and I don’t have my own private jet, but we're OK,” she added. “We have a roof over our heads, food in the fridge and a comfortable bed to lie in, and that does us fine! My gain is in the thought that when I press that "donate" button on our charities' websites, that some wee soul will be given the lifesaving treatment they need to get better. No amount of money in my back pocket can beat that feeling.”