I really like the stands. [...] I have 3 outside dogs who eat their meals on my back deck and have water containers in 2 separate locations. It is hard to find single stands and the others I found are EXPENSIVE! I wanted something to raise the food bowls up a bit and these do the trick. I have 2 Westies and a larger Beagle/Basset mix (Dudley). Although Dudley's body is long, he is not that much taller than the Westies and so the medium (7") stand works for him as well. I had a hard time deciding on the size to order and held a measuring tape in front of the dogs. It was still hard to figure out where the bottom of the bowl would be if the total height of the stand is 7". For those debating what size to order, the bottom of the medium size stand sits 4 1/8" from the ground. This is perfect for a medium sized (Westie, Miniature Schnauzer, etc) to reach in and eat. I would think the small size they sell is for a Lhasa Apso, Shih tzu, etc and the large would be for a Dalmatian, Weimaraner sized dog. I had been using ceramic bowls placed directly on the deck and they had started to chip and crack because of the weather extremes. I know germs can breed because of this and since plastics are not recommended either (chemical leaching into the food), stainless steel is recommended. These stands are made of iron and I am hoping they last through many years of Georgia's 90+ degree summers and 30 degree winters. If you plan to place it indoors, I believe your stand will last a lifetime. I am happy with the sturdiness of the stand and with the included bowl. The bowl has a nice etched circle design on the bottom which I was not expecting and it is light weight but not poor in quality. With the ceramic bowls I was using, I would have to place them on one arm like a server in a restaurant in order to open my back door; they were heavy. The only down side to the new stands is one of my dogs would not eat his food for a few days because his dog tags would "clang" against the metal of the bowl/stand and this scared him. I could tell it also bothered my other dogs, but they dealt with it better and with each passing day, all are accepting the situation. If you have a very timid dog, I would definitely take this into consideration. I have also been concerned that one of my dogs could possibly get his dog tag hung in the open bone design on the side of the stand. I do not believe this will ever happen, but I know if it does, he will probably never eat from the bowl again! :-( Good luck making your selection(s)."..." Read more
- Vegetarianforlife in Georgia (near Atlanta)