Wooden dog food storage

Wooden dog food storage — furniture instead of a plastic bin

Dogs are members of the household, so there is no reason their food should live in a torn paper sack in a garage. These are furniture pieces first: they keep dry food fresh, they contain a smell that not every human nose enjoys, and their plain form keeps the feeding area in order.

What goes wrong with a sack?

Kibble carries fat, and fat degrades on contact with air, damp and warmth. That is why food from the bottom of a large sack often smells different from the top, and why some dogs go off a bag before it runs out.

A sealed timber container answers that. Ours are built from solid oak and hold up to 15 kg of dry food — the largest sack most shops sell. We still recommend keeping the bag itself sealed inside, which protects the food from damp and holds its nutritional value longest.

There is a second problem a sack does not solve: it is not proof against rodents, insects or a determined dog. A closed chest is.

What is in the range?

The forms are taken from traditional cabinetmaking rather than from pet supplies.

• GALLANT — a chest of drawers with milled fronts, a substantial usable top, a container and a separate storage drawer.
• VALIANT — a classic chest, lower and wider, with a lid that doubles as a usable surface.

Both were designed to sit among the rest of your furniture rather than beside it. We left castors off deliberately: given the weight of the timber and the look we were after, a proper plinth was the better answer.

How does the feeding drawer work?

The bowl holder, with steel bowls for food and water, sits in a pull-out drawer that disappears when it is not in use. Pull it out, open the container, fill the bowls. Push it back when the meal is over and the piece is a chest of drawers again.

Two details make it work in practice. The drawer runs on soft-close runners and has a catch that stops your dog pushing it shut mid-meal — one finger releases it when you want to close it. And the bowls sit at an ergonomic height, which supports a correct posture while eating for the same reasons a raised bowl stand does.

A scoop for dosing dry food stores in the drawer.

What are the advantages?

• Built from high-quality timber sealed with a non-toxic lacquer.
• A container holding up to 15 kg of dry food.
• A pull-out drawer with steel bowls for food and water.
• An ergonomic feeding height.
• Soft-close runners throughout.
• A catch that prevents accidental closing during a meal.
• Easy to keep clean.
• A design that belongs in a room rather than a utility cupboard.

Where should it stand?

Anywhere the temperature and humidity are right. A living room or hallway works well, as does a cool corner of a kitchen. Direct sun and a spot beside a radiator do not.

Buying a larger stock also means fewer deliveries, which is a small thing until you are carrying 15 kg sacks up a flight of stairs every fortnight.

Why this rather than a bin?

Because you get storage and a piece of furniture in one, instead of a plastic tub you have to look at. Keeping the food supply and the bowls in one place also ends the problem of bowls occupying floor space in the kitchen or hallway.

Finishes are on our available colours page, and we build to your dimensions on request — write to my@dogdeco.com. Our guide to wooden dog food containers covers storing dry food properly.

For matching pieces in the same timber, see wooden dog crates and wooden dog beds.