4.0 out of 5 stars
Got for doghouse bedding. You get alot in a bale, it's warm, clean, dust free, but it's a MESS, tracks EVERYWHERE!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 27 December 2012
3rd & FINAL UPDATE: 1/31/13 Customer service emailed me promptly, apologized and sent a new bale out, next day, no charge (for product OR shipping), and I didn't have to return the bad bale (which I will either donate to our local Humane Society if they can use it or use on my garden next spring). This bale was like the first one, nice sized, very clean shavings...no dust, no dirt, no junk! I'm very happy with the way this was handled and remain a loyal Amazon customer! ...(PS - By now, I've been using this stuff in our doghouses for a couple months, through some very cold temps, and I have to say, this stuff does work as outdoor dog house bedding...it's warm, it's clean, the dogs seem to really like it....they can't wait to get in their house every time I refresh/put new stuff in....it comes in a nice box so stores well in our garage. It does the job, BUT I still really hate the mess it makes from sticking to everything and tracking in so badly, and it's certainly not an economical bedding for this use, but I'll buy it again next winter if I can't find some straw because it is SO much better for an outdoor pet (as far as providing warmth) than anything else...like blankets or anything cloth.)
2nd UPDATE, 1/10/12 (Original review at bottom): Got my 2nd bale of this stuff, and now I see why the price was $6 less than the one I got last fall (from $38 to $32). This bale is of VERY POOR QUALITY! The shavings are very, VERY tiny, lots of sawdust and just generally DIRTY throughout! Literally looks to me as if it was the last of a run, bottom of the barrel. The first bale I got was very good quality, nice size shavings, very clean, no dust. This bale is more suited for use as garden mulch, NOT animal bedding. I have emailed Amazon saying I'd like a replacement but DO NOT feel I should have to pay the return shipping cost. If the first bale I'd gotten was like this bale, I never would've ordered another. This is the first time I've ever returned anything to Amazon, so now I'll see how good their customer service is.
1st UPDATE, Dec 30, 2012: I just ordered another bale since I know what I have left from the first bale will not last through the winter. Was VERY pleasantly surprised to see the price is $6 less than it was when I ordered last fall. Still hoping to find straw for next winter, though.
Original review: (Nov 2012) We have 2 outdoor farm dogs & 2 insulated, heated doghouses. Clean straw (not HAY) is a MUCH warmer bedding than blankets but it's getting almost impossible to buy the small square bales of straw anymore, around here, anyway. It's mostly the super-sized round bales these days, and I don't have the equipment to handle those huge bales or an indoor space large enough to store one . The one and only place I did find a few small bales, they'd been stored outside for awhile and were dirty ......and dirty ANYTHING never makes for warmth. So, in desperation, I bought this large "bale" of aspen bedding to try this winter. It's packed REALLY tight, so you get ALOT more than what you think from looking at it, it has no odor that might bother scenting dogs, it seems to provide nice warmth and comfort, and it's clean and dust-free...all good points for my intended use. But, within a few days I realized it's really too light weight for doghouse bedding, mostly because it won't "stay put", which means it has to be replenished more often because it gets dragged out of the houses plus it is MESSY!!! It sticks to the dogs' fur, so they drag it out of the houses, it sticks to your clothing/coat sleeves and gloves when you put your hand in to check the heaters, to make sure the bedding is dry, to add more bedding, etc., it sticks to your shoes/boots, to your pants....IT STICKS TO EVERYTHING, then tracks into the garage, up the steps, into the porch and even after taking off boots, coats, gloves and dusting off everything else, it still manages to make its way into the house. Straw also sticks to clothing, tracks around and is rather messy, but NOTHING like this stuff! Plus straw is much cheaper. This is not an economical doghouse bedding solution (although it's the best price I found for this type of bedding). When I first say how tightly it was packed and how much it expanded, I thought one bale should easily last til spring, but I didn't count on the loss of material due to it sticking to everything. So now I'm just crossing my fingers that one bale will get us through the winter. Next fall I will broaden my search area and try even harder to find clean and manageable sized straw bales! I would guess this stuff is great for gerbils and hamsters, etc, and it DOES work for doghouse bedding if you can't get straw...and unless I can find straw next fall, I'll probably be using it again because it's definitely superior to blankets/cloth bedding for warmth.
