Entrepreneurs make dog beds from used tyres

A trend that is slowly taking over the world has made its way to TT thanks to a San Fernando couple. The two dog lovers make beds for the animals from used/old tyres, and they say business has been booming.

Tenisha Granger and her fiancé Jonathan Ramcharan came up with the idea exactly one year ago. Well…sort of. This trend was first made popular by a Brazilian craftsman who made the beds for stray dogs. But she had never heard about that.

“I thought it was my idea but my fiancé said, ‘You know, this was out long time.’ And you know when you thinking you’re the only person with an idea and somebody else had already thought of it? Yeah,” Granger joked.

After making her first bed and posting photos to Facebook, Granger said requests started piling up and she decided to turn it into a business venture.

“It has a tyre shop up by us and he supplies us. So we take all the old tyres he has because most times a truck would have to just come to throw them away and stuff. And I think it’s a great way of recycling to help save the planet a bit. I’m all for that.”

Plywood is used inside of the tyres to allow the bedding to be easily removed and to prevent the animal from sinking into the fabric. It is then cushioned and the name of the dog can be written on the front by request.

She said the response has been “overwhelming,” as they receive over ten orders per week. They have a five-year-old dog named Mama and she, too, loves the beds. It takes approximately one to two hours to make one and come in two sizes: medium and large.

She said Ramcharan supports her in everything she does and that she is thankful. They have been together for eight years.

Asked how it feels to see photos of happy pets in the beds, she said, “I can’t even describe how it feels. It just warms my heart. I love dogs. Growing up, my mom had 13. So I have always loved dogs.”

She said they plan to donate some beds to local animal shelters very soon.