Thanks, everyone - we are very partial to our special dogs, both of whom are street rescues. They are sweet, affectionate boys. That bench (which has two matching chairs) is something we bought here a couple of years ago, from a guy who was selling furniture out of the back of his pickup truck. As you can see, it is hand-carved out of massive pieces of termite-resistant wood (probably parota). It's very comfortable, because the individual sitting areas are also carved out. We've never seen anything else like it, so we really treasure the set. It is so heavy that it takes two of us to move the bench.