Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate – An In-Depth Review

Dog Soft Crate 27 Inch Kennel for Pet Indoor Home & Outdoor Use - Soft Sided 3 Door Folding Travel Carrier with Straps - Arf Pets

Arf is a pet care brand and the manufacturer of the Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate – our product on review. You’re right to say that the name of this brand sounds like the barking of a dog. We guess that was the plan. Sounds kinda cute when you play it in your head in a pup’s voice.

Anyway, Arf Pet Care has been in business since 2008 with a goal to provide its clients with dependable and loving pet care services. And so, its services range from pet visits to in-home private boarding, house sitting, dog walking, and basically every other dog care service there is.

Without further ado, let’s look at the crate we are reviewing today. Is this crate worth your time and investment? Well, you’ll soon find out?

 

Who Is The Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate?

This crate is best for crate-trained dogs since it is made from fabric. With crate-trained dogs, the crate will remain durable and last longer. There won’t be any clawing, or chewing or anything of the sort.

Also, this crate only comes in two sizes which are the 27.5 inches and 36 inches. This means that the crate will only do for small to medium breeds.

Now, for pet parents looking for something they can travel with, you can also check out this crate. Soft dog crates usually make good travel crates since they are usually foldable and lightweight.

Mind you, your dog must not weigh more than 40 pounds as that’s the max weight capacity of this crate. And again, try to avoid giving this to a puppy. They will chew it to bits.

Dog Soft Crate 27 Inch Kennel for Pet Indoor Home & Outdoor Use - Soft Sided 3 Door Folding Travel Carrier with Straps - Arf Pets

 

 

Features Of The Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate

Portability

This crate comes completely collapsible. And it hardly takes any time to set up too. And so it offers some convenience in that respect.

Also, this crate is quite lightweight so it makes the crate a lot easier on the hands. Plus, there is a shoulder strap attached to make the crate a lot more convenient to carry as well.

Any issues? Yes, as a matter of fact, there is.

A couple of customers feel like this crate is somewhat too large and therefore somewhat awkward to carry with the shoulder strap.

So, yeah we’re not sure this would really work as a pet carrier. But if you need something for your road trips, this makes a good choice.

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It’s roomy enough for your pet (or maybe two) to ride comfortably in. But if you were to lug this thing to a vet visit (which is already a dreaded chore on its own), it will feel a little awkward.

Three Doors

This crate comes with three doors which makes this crate very convenient to access. There’s a top door, one in the front, and another by the side.

We really appreciate this feature because multiple entries are always a good thing. However, let’s talk about the closure.

The doors of this crate close with zippers which is common for soft dog crates. And also, as usual, we have yet to find soft crates with zippers that are too heavy-duty to breakthrough.

You need to keep in mind that soft dog crates aren’t made with aggressive pets in mind. So, the zippers on this unit aren’t necessarily flimsy but a determined pet will destroy it.

And even beyond the flimsiness or otherwise of the zippers, there was also a significant number of complaints about the zippers being a little difficult to use.

 

All-Steel Frame

Arf fits this crate with a steel frame to keep the crate firm and stable. The steel frame is actually pretty strong and does its job of keeping the crate stable and firm on the ground.

There hasn’t been any bad report on the steel frame so far. So, yes, it passes the test.

Dog Soft Crate 27 Inch Kennel for Pet Indoor Home & Outdoor Use - Soft Sided 3 Door Folding Travel Carrier with Straps - Arf Pets

 

 

 

Collapsible Bars With Retractable Springs For Simple Setup

We have to commend this move by Arf. The inclusion of retractable springs into the collapsible bars actually did make setup easier. Apparently, customers find it a lot easier to use the spring system when compared to the more popular twist connections.

 

Ease Of Cleaning

This crate cleans quite easily as there is a water-resistant base at the bottom. Water-resistant not water-proof, mind you.

Since this base comes with a machine-washable cover. All you need to do for cleaning is to take out the cover and throw it into a machine. Pretty convenient. However, that’s not all you should know.

Now, while researching, we found that, indeed, the base is quite water-resistant. But from what we found, we aren’t confident that it is exactly sturdy enough. What do we mean? The base is supposed to touch the ground but being made of the same material as the other parts of the crate we doubt it will stand up to serious abuse.

So, if you’re one to drag your crate around, you’ll find that the bottom part of your crate would give sooner than later.

In fact, a customer observed that, by just putting her crate on a cemented floor, the bottom begins to wear out.

This is actually disturbing and is already making us doubt the durability of this crate and whether it’s wise to use this outdoors.

Material

This crate is made of a tightly woven mesh material which Arf swears will keep your crate durable and resistant to chewing.

It’s not true. This will not make your crate resistant to chewing and your puppy or chewy dog will destroy this in minutes if you’re not careful.

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But anyway, since the cover is mesh, it ensures that your pet is well ventilated in his unit. Plus there are two windows and two large doors too to ensure that your pet gets all the ventilation he needs.

No doubt, this is a well-ventilated unit.

Available Sizes

The Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate comes in 2 sizes only. And these sizes tend more towards small and medium breeds. So, this crate wouldn’t do for large breeds at all.

 

Pros Of The Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate

Large and roomy crate. Can contain two pets depending.

Collapsible bars with retractable springs make setup very simple.

Well ventilated unit.

Features multiple entries – 3 doors to be precise.

Comes with a shoulder strap for convenient carrying.

Makes a good travel crate.

Rounded corners to protect your car seats and home décor.

 

Dog Soft Crate 27 Inch Kennel for Pet Indoor Home & Outdoor Use - Soft Sided 3 Door Folding Travel Carrier with Straps - Arf Pets

 

 

 

Cons Of The Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate

Feels somewhat awkward to carry around as a pet carrier due to its large size.

Actually too large for some car doors like a Honda Accord, for instance. Here’s a smaller one.

Zippers are somewhat flimsy and can be destroyed by puppies or other destructive pets.

No straps to carry the crate when it is collapsed.

Mesh material used to make the crate could be a bit stronger.

Comes in only two size options.

We’re not sure this is great for the outdoors considering the nearly fragile base.

 

Alternative Options To The Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate

More Affordable Option – 2Pet Foldable Dog Crate

2PET Foldable Dog Crate - Soft, Easy to Fold & Carry Dog Crate for Indoor & Outdoor Use - Comfy Dog Home & Dog Travel Crate - Strong Steel Frame, Washable Fabric Cover, Frontal Zipper Medium Red

 

 

 

 

If budget is an issue for now, then no worries, you can check out the 2Pet Foldable Dog Crate (see full review here). It’s pretty much like our featured product in many respects. Well, except that it offers more sizes and only comes with two doors unlike our featured product’s three.

And the 2Pet Foldable Dog Crate seems to make more economical sense too because it comes with a water-proof crate mat. The Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate costs more but does not offer this added benefit.

Also, unlike the Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate comes with many color options from Biscuit beige to Grizzle grey to Bonny Blue to Rawhide Red.

Beware though, the handle of this crate is somewhat awkward to use and zippers are also low quality too.

 

More High-End Option – Petsfit Indoor/Outdoor Soft Portable Dog Crate

Petsfit Portable Soft Large Dog Crate Travle Dog Crate for Medium to Large Dog Soft Sided Pet Crate Black 30" x 20" x 19"

 

 

 

If you can afford to spend the little extra for your furkin, then you might want to give the Petsfit Indoor/Outdoor Soft Portable Dog Crate.

This is a crate for small and medium dog breeds only. It comes in an elitist black finish and will blend into your home décor quite fine.

Now, you want to be very careful with this crate as usual, except your pet is well crate-trained.

It comes with three doors and a complementary fleece crate mat.

 

Soft Crate For Your Large Breed – Noz2Noz Soft-Krater Crate For Pets

Noz2Noz Soft-Krater Indoor and Outdoor Crate for Pets

 

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The Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate only comes in two sizes which tend more towards small and medium breeds. But we know there are dog parents that need something for their large breeds, ergo this option – the Noz2Noz Soft-Krater Crate for Pets.

This comes in a wide range of sizes from small to large. So, if you need something for your Mastiff, you can check this out.

It comes with two doors, a convenient handle for carrying, and is also a bit more durable than our featured product.

 

Quick Comparison Table

  Featured More Affordable More High End Soft Dog Crates For Large Breeds
Product

Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate

Dog Soft Crate 27 Inch Kennel for Pet Indoor Home & Outdoor Use - Soft Sided 3 Door Folding Travel Carrier with Straps - Arf Pets

Click here to get it for your dog.

2Pet Foldable Dog Crate

BestPet 42" Pet Folding Dog Cat Crate Cage Kennel w/ABS Tray LC

Click here to get it for your dog.

Petsfit Indoor/Outdoor Soft Portable Dog Crate

Petsfit Portable Soft Large Dog Crate Travle Dog Crate for Medium to Large Dog Soft Sided Pet Crate Black 30" x 20" x 19"

Click here to get it for your dog.

Noz2Noz Soft-Krater Crate For Pets

Noz2Noz Soft-Krater Indoor and Outdoor Crate for Pets

Click here to get it for your dog.

Material Tightly woven mesh 600D Oxford fabric Oxford Cloth Heavy duty tight-weave mesh fabric
Sizes Available 2: 27.5 inches and 36 inches 5: 20 inches, 24 inches, 28 inches, 32 inches, and 36 inches 2 – 30 inches and 36 inches
Door 3 2 3 2
Colors Available Blue Biscuit beige, Bonny blue, Grizzle grey, Rawhide red Black Green
Assembly Required? Yes Yes Yes Yes
Best For Small – medium crate-trained breeds Crate-trained dogs Crate-trained dogs Crate-trained dogs

 

 

What Customers Are Saying About The Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate

This crate is receiving a lot of positive reviews far and wide. And we are just going to touch on the major issues that customers are commenting about on this crate.

In the first place, a lot of customers are excited that this crate comes large. It’s spacious enough for your pup to travel in with you without feeling cooped up.

However, this same benefit is somewhat a drawback to this crate at the same time. Customers are finding it so awkward carrying this crate around with the shoulder strap because it is too large.

A particular customer who drives a Honda Accord found that he could hardly fit the crate into his car door.

And besides the size, the zippers were another problem. They felt a little difficult for most customers to use. However, many want to believe that it’s because they haven’t been broken through yet. So, be prepared. You just might face that challenge.

And of course, the sturdiness of the zippers (or lack of it, more correctly) is another aspect of this crate that customers had a few things to say about. You can probably already guess what they said from the tone of this conversation. So, we’ll just skip that.

In the end, customers cannot deny that this crate is well made. Is it the best they have ever seen? Many say yes, others say no. However, what many people seem to agree with is the fact that this crate is a good one.

 

Our Verdict

We’ve definitely seen better crates but we’ve also seen a lot worse. The Arf Pets Soft Dog Crate is a good crate with many good qualities. It’s spacious, sets up easily and quickly, and also comes with multiple entries.

However, Arf skimped a bit on the quality of the mesh cover of the crate, especially at the base of the crate. A much stronger material should have been used rather than use the same material used for the crate cover.

Now, we’re not so sure we want to recommend this for outdoor use. Because placing this on cemented surfaces or other similar surfaces will spell doom for the bottom of your crate.

But barring the few issues here and there, this is a good crate all the same. It’s not spectacular, but it will serve.

 

Dog Soft Crate 27 Inch Kennel for Pet Indoor Home & Outdoor Use - Soft Sided 3 Door Folding Travel Carrier with Straps - Arf Pets