After two dog owners noticed how much their Labrador loved sleeping at the top of their bed, they took things to a new level by building him his own bed extension so they could all get the perfect night’s sleep.
Hank the Labrador is the ultimate Velcro dog, and whether it’s day or night, he has to be with his owners. That includes when they sleep, as Hank would usually lie on the bed, across their pillows—even if their heads were resting there too.
Hank’s owner, Allie Villa, 35, told Newsweek that the pup “loves to always be touching” one of his human parents. While that’s incredibly sweet, it led to many sleepless nights as having him lying on top of their heads was “so uncomfortable throughout the night.”
As a result, Villa, of Belmar, New Jersey, and her boyfriend, Ben Talcott, 30, took matters into their own hands by building a special extension just for Hank. Villa said: “We originally wanted to add a twin-size bed to our king, but we don’t have enough room. So, we tried to think of a way to add something smaller than a twin, but still big enough for him to be comfortable.”
@pastapuplover / TikTok
“We didn’t follow a template as we’re both handy and love doing DIY projects around the house,” she added. “We just thought of this idea together. Now, he has so much room to stretch out and we all have our own space. It’s the best thing we did.”
The couple bought two wooden boards, metal brackets and the screws from Home Depot, costing around $100. Once they got the construction materials, they also found some extra pillows to make Hank’s extension comfortable.
Villa shared a video on TikTok (@pastapuplover) showing how they put it together, and of course, how Hank reacted to his new perch. The video delighted internet users and went viral with more than 741,500 views and 69,400 likes at the time of writing.
Needless to say, the Labrador absolutely loves his new spot on the bed and has slept there every night since.
“At first, I don’t think he understood it because it seamlessly blends in with our bed,” Villa told Newsweek. “But now at night, he has so much more room to spread out without us moving him around, so I think he loves it. We are all so much more comfortable now.
“To anyone else considering this, I would recommend making sure the boards are mounted lower than the mattress, so the cushions lie evenly with the mattress. That way, the pup’s paws can’t get stuck under the boards.”
The online reaction to the TikTok video has been beyond anything Villa anticipated. She’s loved all the positivity from fellow dog owners, who know exactly what it feels like to get no sleep because of a dog taking up all the space.
Many internet users were curious about Hank’s breed, given his black and brown markings. Villa explained to Newsweek that he’s a normal Labrador retriever, but his parents had “a recessive gene,” causing the discoloration of his fur.
With over 670 comments on the viral video, plenty of TikTokers praised Villa and Talcott for giving Hank exactly the sort of comfort he deserves.
One comment reads: “The way I assumed this was on one side of the bed, but nope! Head of the bed for the king.”
Another person wrote: “I LOVE people who love their dogs this much!”
While one TikToker joked: “I feel like I would end up on the extension and the dogs would get the bed.”
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