Sleep Like a Dog In This Human-Sized Dog Bed

One thing is certain: Dogs excel at napping, clocking up to 14 hours a day at rest. (18 to 20 hours if they are puppies or seniors.) It’s hard not to feel just a bit envious of your four-legged friend’s epic rest sessions.

Now you don’t have to: a new company has designed cozy dog beds sized for humans. As in, you.

Meet Plufl, a dog-bed-for-people launched by two university grads who have raised a whopping $400,000 to date. Is this the new Snuggy, the late-night-TV hawked wearable blanket that shot to fame?

“Plufl is the ultimate napping and resting product,” co-founders Noah Silverman and Yuki Kinoshita explain to Modern Dog. The company has a singular mission: to make napping better with their round “beds” that are designed to rest on the floor.

Yuki Kinoshita takes his Plufl for a spin.

The start-up was born out of the pair’s own love of napping—and one special dog who, ironically, belongs to neither (while they both love dogs, neither was able to have one during their busy university years—but there are plans to get a Plufl office dog in the very near future).

The idea—sure to take off with Gen Z’s and millennials on Instagram—was sparked over regular trips to a Vancouver, BC coffee shop, while studying at the University of British Columbia.

Did You Know? Dogs sleep up  to an average of 14 hours a day—puppies and seniors up to 20!

At their go-to java house, the friends got to know a sweet (and regularly napping) Great Dane who hung out on a regular basis—ultimately serving as their inspiration. The Dane belonged to the owners and was so large that she had a custom bed of her very own.

“We came up with the idea after looking for a better place to nap and rest and seeing how comfortable dogs looked in their beds—we decided to make one for humans,” the duo explain.

Both Silverman, who hails from Washington, and Kinoshita, who’s a D.C. native, earned their undergraduate degrees in International Economics in May 2022.

Months before graduating, the 21-year-olds were keen to take their idea from concept to reality. With just a vision, Silverman and Kinoshita took to Craigslist to find a seamstress who could assist with making their first sample.

“We started the business by prototyping different types of dog beds for humans,” they said.

The first version was an ultra-cozy success, and the duo quickly realized they were onto something.

“After realizing that it's so cozy and comfortable, we decided to take our product to the world.”

The only thing they needed now was capital. As students, the two embraced a grassroots approach to get the funds with the crowdsourcing platform Kickstarter.

In just 30 days, Silverman and Kinoshita raised an incredible $400,000 to get the company—and their product—going. Their initial goal? A moderate $25,000. But 800 backers clearly felt passionately about their product and movement.

"The day we released the campaign, I was actually writing an exam. All I could think about the whole time was the campaign, so I flew through the exam, and by the time I left the room, we were already at 100 percent of our goal,” Kinoshita recalls.

The pair is currently finding the right manufacturing partner who can help them fulfill their growing pre-order list this fall. Plufl’s initial run will be 800 beds, which they’re focused on getting to customers as soon as possible.

Plufl co-founders Yuki Kinoshita  and Noah Silverman.

The new version is elevated from the initial prototype, with orthopedic memory foam, a suggestion by their designer, who specializes in both dog beds and textiles. There’s also an area to tuck your hands and feet, a thick pillow border, and a luxe faux fur throw.

“Our demo is anyone looking for a more comfortable and cozy environment to nap in!” Silverman enthuses.

The pair don’t see Plufl as a human-only item—furry friends can indulge, too. “And dog owners looking to cuddle with their fur babies, of course,” they clarify.

Ultimately, they envision Plufl as more than just a one-product company—but rather, a disrupter in the nap space. They believe the experience will both alleviate stress and anxiety in people, and encourage a healthy napping culture.

"We want to build a community centered around promoting naps as a key to living a more happy and healthy life,” Silverman says of their mission. “A space where everyone from a regular napper to someone who has never taken a nap in their life can go to connect and learn more about sleep health and nap culture."

There's clearly a market for human-sized dog beds: In just 30 days, Silverman and Kinoshita raised an incredible $400,000 to launch their product.

Beyond the dog beds, Silverman and Kinoshita already have plans for a full-range companion line that will include pillows and blankets.

“We want to build and deliver the highest quality napping products on the market and help users find better ways to rest and distress,” they say of their mission. "The Plufl is just the start for us! We are so excited to deliver a whole line of products and solutions to help people live a more rested, happy, and healthy life."

For interested customers looking to score a human dog-bed of their own, Silverman and Kinoshita encourage people to keep an eye on their Instagram page: “We are about to launch an additional round of pre-orders, so visit our social media pages and subscribe to our email list to stay up to date when it drops.”

This article originally appeared in the award-winning Modern Dog magazine. Subscribe today!