Some products show up everywhere: subway ads, Instagram, celeb endorsements. With this series, we're testing such products to conclude one thing: Does it live up to the hype?
What’s Everyone Talking About?
Fable Pets, the aesthetically pleasing pet accessory company with a beautiful — but expensive — dog crate. The Crate is meant to serve as an easy-on-the-eyes alternative to a classic metal dog crate.
What’s the Buzz About?
Let's be real: Dog crates are normally pretty ugly. They're often made of black metal, and they look a lot more like a puppy jail cell than a cozy, comfy, toy-filled wonderland. Some pups don't like the openness of a metal crate, either, which often leads to you tossing a blanket over the crate — only further highlighting the crate's rather unattractive qualities. Fable set out to create a crate that's part furniture, part pet palace. It's handmade with bent wood and an acrylic (or metal) gate. The top of the crate can be also used as a side table or nightstand, depending on where you keep your dog at night.
Where’s All the Hype Coming From?
- Architectural Digest praises it for its “understated design.”
- According to Apartment Therapy, it’s “the long-awaited answer to your pet parent prayers.”
- The crate continuously sells out, leading to a near-constant wait list.
- The nearly 32k Instagram followers are clearly clamoring to get one for their fur baby.
So Does It Live Up to the Hype?
How Did We Come to This Conclusion?
I am someone who is very particular about her home decor, and I have to admit I was looking at this crate before I even had my dog. Some call it pre-pet research, but in all honesty, I just wanted something not ugly for my dog to sleep and hang out in. I ended up putting my preferences aside, settling for a metal crate I bought off Craigslist for $25.
Don't get me wrong: The crate was great for training and nap time, but it was ugly and oddly loud. At night, I heard Olive (my puppy) moving around or getting comfy, and her weight was shifting on the plastic tray at the bottom of the crate. When she got upset with me, she would paw incessantly on the bars, not much unlike an old-timey cartoon prisoner rattling their tin cup along their cell bars (and it was just about as loud). Olive also has pretty severe anxiety, so she took to biting the bars and pawing pretty hard if I had to run a quick errand outside of the apartment and lock her up for a few minutes. She even managed to jam the door partially open a few times.
As time went on and Olive became better behaved in her crate, I just couldn't get that image of the Fable crate out of my mind. The clean lines, clear door, and multipurpose function of the kennel haunted me. But with a price tag of $395 for the small crate (recommended for dogs weighing 25 pounds or less) and $595 for a medium crate (recommended for dogs weighing 25 to 50 pounds), the cost just about knocked me to my knees. I love my dog, but do I love her that much? That's, like, two vet visits here in NYC. But after months of thinking about it, I couldn't wait any longer.
Upon opening the box the crate arrived in (in one day, I must add!), my heart immediately started racing. I just couldn't contain my excitement, and immediately started ripping away plastic and styrofoam to get to the good stuff.
The crate comes in five main pieces: two sides, a base, a back panel, and the top panel that houses the door. I was able to put the crate together by myself in a few minutes with minimal tools, as it comes with a tiny wrench and all the necessary hardware. I will warn this, though: The pieces are solid wood, and so are definitely heavier than you'd expect. After checking the shipping label, I confirmed it's about 50 pounds of crate for the small crate that I received. (The medium crate weighs closer to 75 pounds.)
Fable's creators started their brand with functionality and aesthetics in mind. Each product, like their toys, bowls, and leashes, is built from the ground up, essentially creating a new product with each one instead of modifying existing pet products.
They also put each product through a set of rigorous tests that other pet products don't always go through. They use food-safe and nontoxic materials that are durable — meaning they're safe for pets to nibble on and won't break easily. The minimal designs and strong materials are tested up to 500 (!) times to ensure their durability and safety.
The crate itself is made of a beautiful, light-colored bent wood that is smooth to the touch: There's no chance of splinters here, folks! The sides and rear of the wood crate have small square cutouts to ensure proper airflow, but they're placed high enough on the walls so your pet still gets that den-like environment inside. There are four rubber feet on the bottom, elevating it slightly and protecting hardwood floors.
The door, which can be a clear acrylic or white metal piece, comes down similarly to a garage door. It glides easily along the track inside the crate, and I have no trouble opening and closing it. There is a latch at the bottom of the door that you simply press to secure the door closed, and you lift it up to release. It's also strong enough that my pup can't stick her paw through the air flow openings in the door and unhook it herself, which is a huge plus. She also can't reach it to chew on it. (Another plus in my book.)
However, the crate does not come with a bed. Fable offers their own bed for $95, but a
regular ol’ crate mat fits perfectly, too.
What’s the Bottom Line?
Look, I wanted to hate this crate — I really did. The price is extremely hard to stomach, but the truth is, I loved it ... and so did my dog. It’s the first crate she’s ever walked into without hesitation (which is big for her), and she actually chooses to sleep in the crate over my bed sometimes. It’s become her safe space, while the other crate was more of a jail for her. She never seemed to like how open it was, and I was always afraid covering it with a blanket could restrict air flow.
The door glides quietly up and down, which doesn't seem to bother her at all. She likes to look out the little acrylic gate, and she often curls up on her bed in the back of the kennel and takes a snooze. Olive is good enough that I let her roam in my bedroom when I have to leave the apartment for short periods of time, and instead of crying at the door for the majority of my absence, she goes into her crate. (Yes, this is a combo of training and the crate, but trust me: She did not willingly go into her old crate before.)
I keep the crate in my bedroom at the foot of my bed, where it fits in seamlessly with my decor. I don't use the top often because of its location in my apartment, but it is the perfect height for a side table. It's also great at holding my folded laundry before I put it away in the dresser.
The price tag is extremely steep, but for something that you and your dog use every day, it's worth it. The quality of the crate is amazing, but of course, there are more budget-friendly options out there. For me, something that looked beautiful and worked just as well was really important to me, so it's worth the splurge in my eyes.
