I bought a Clearly Loved Pets Lucidium Dog Pen and...

I bit the bullet and bought the Clearly Loved Pets Lucidium Dog Pen after drooling over their Facebook ad for months. I chose the 36″ Medium pen for $559, closed my eyes, and pressed “Submit Order”. Below I’ll let you know if the grandiose dog crate was worth it or not.

Also – I was given a coupon code to try the pen out in exchange for a review on our blog. I did still pay a pretty penny for it though.

Why I Bought It

In October, we brought home a Shih Tzu puppy from a rescue. She seriously is the cutest thing, but she had some separation anxiety. We had her a traditional crate for when we left the house, but she would want to bite the metal frame which scared me.

I figured the Clearly Loved Pets pen would be safer since it is a hard plastic and sort of a PVC-pipe to connect the plastic pieces together. Plus, it was tall enough that if she jumped she couldn’t get out.

(Have a dog allergy? We picked a Shih Tzu because they are also a hypoallergenic dog breed!)

Building It

When the box came, my husband offered to build it. He’s amazing. He’s built our entertainment center, bookshelves, patio furniture, and even a treadmill. So this was not his first rodeo.

This pen took at least 2 hours if not 2 and a half to build.

The Medium could be built as a square (48″ x 48″) or as a long rectangle (24″ x 72″). The 36″ is the height. We chose the rectangle version and placed it in my home office along side a wall.

How Did Whitley Like It

In short – she didn’t. We actually found that she settled better in a larger traditional crate (one size up from the recommended one for her height and weight). Now she loves her comfy bed inside it, and I put a blanket on top to make it cozy.

What I Noticed About the Clearly Loved Pets Pen

If you have a dog that may jump, the 36″ is almost too short for a Shih Tzu (which is a small dog). So you may want to go for a taller one.

I chose the larger pen so she would have more room to play and sleep! This felt like a safer way to do a “baby-gate” situation. Well, larger may not be better…the extra space has become her personal in-door bathroom. *face to palm*

With that being said, if I was to ever order another, I would have chosen the taller, smaller one. I just checked the site, and they don’t have a taller one in stock though.

The Look

It looks just like the photos – except Whitley doesn’t have a boho rug under hers or a teepee in hers like the Facebook pictures.

Clearly Loved Pets Versus a Traditional Crate

In the end, she chose her traditional crate with a soft bed inside and blanket on top to cover it. We also have been working with a trainer to help with her separation anxiety and also got a lot out of The Dog Explained Separation Anxiety Guide.

We also have the goal of letting her free roam as she gets older and doesn’t get into as much stuff. Shih Tzus are pretty calm little dogs so as soon as she’s done teething and is potty trained, we’ll bring her bed out of the crate and let her roam.

The other nice thing is we’ve been home most of the time due to the pandemic so right now she’s basically in training mode in the crate.

Knowing this, would I buy Clearly Loved Pets Lucidium Pen again?

Nope. I don’t think I ever would because it’s so expensive, takes up a lot of room compared to a traditional crate, and she didn’t like it any better.

I also am confident an older dog may like the pen, but at that point I would personally just let her free roam or use $30 baby gates to keep her contained while I was gone.