Charcoal is the practical choice in dog bedding, and anyone who has owned a pale bed knows exactly why. This is the same Vetbed as the lighter ones — deep-pile, washable, non-slip — in the colour that does not look permanently grubby between washes, with a yellow bee print on it.

It is 150 x 100cm, which covers the floor of most crates or the back of an estate car, and it is made from 95% recycled content. The underside is ribbed as an anti-slip backing, and that is the feature that earns its keep on laminate or tile, where an ordinary mat shoots out from under a dog as they land on it. It washes at 40 degrees and dries quickly, which is why Vetbed say it is recommended by vets, breeders and other pet care professionals.

• Charcoal with a yellow bee print
• 150 x 100cm
• 95% recycled content
• Ribbed anti-slip backing for laminate and tiled floors
• Machine washable at 40 degrees and quick to dry
• Suits dogs, cats and other small animals

It is a mat, not a mattress. There is no padding layer in a Vetbed — it is deep-pile fabric on a thin non-slip backing, so what you get is warmth, grip and something that survives being washed weekly, rather than cushioning. On a hard floor an older dog will want a pad underneath it. Vetbed publish no thickness or weight figure to us either, so we cannot tell you how deep the pile actually runs.

Who it's for: anyone washing dog bedding weekly, and particularly households where a pale bed lasted about a fortnight before it stopped looking clean.