Lick mats for an anxious Golden Retriever.
Endorphins via tongue. Five mats, before and during a storm. Two worked. Three peeled.
Three dog beds destroyed.
Then we figured it out. Tested in our flat
We test pet stuff in our actual flat with our actual pets. Charlie destroys things. Luna judges us. We write down what survives.
65 lb
Golden Retriever · Charlie
8 lb
Rescue cat · Luna
0
UTIs in 2 yrs · since the fountain
47
Products tested · 2026
charlie·cooling mat test
What's going on at your house today?
Dog · Anxiety · Heat
Latest roundup, published 9 May
Tested at home
Cooling mats, tested with five anxious dogs for two warm weeks.
Twelve mats. Five dogs. Charlie — 65 lb, panics in storms, overheats above 75°F, destroyed three beds last summer. We bought every mat with our own money. Two were worth keeping.
Green Pet Shop Cool Pet Pad — L
14 days · 5 dogs · No power required
Works (surface −4.2°C @ 20min)
Holds up (day 14)
Charlie returned to it
Human friction
Price (£32)
9/10 · Charlie's pick
More this month
Other guides.
Cat water fountains, after UTI nº 8.
Luna had a UTI every three months. Zero since the fountain. Here is which one — and which is a trap.
Five ways to quiet an anxious dog. No supplements.
No thunder shirts, no pills. Five things that helped Charlie, in order of how reliably they worked.
Sunday letter, from the kitchen floor.
One thing that helped Charlie or Luna this week. Plus what we threw out. Every other Sunday.
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