recommendations for steps to help my dog get onto my bed?

lnelson

i've seen variations on little stoops you can put next to your bed so your dog can climb up to it, and i'm looking for the most space/cost/eyesore efficient model. my bed isn't that high, but there's not much room next to it for my dog to get up the momentum needed to launch himself onto it. any suggestions? and, where to buy?

tinkybelll

ha ha ha....I'm sorry, but I read the headline and thought "isn't this illegal"?

on a practical note, maybe you can have somebody make something for you (ask WhyNot if he's taking on projects again)

opossumqueen

A beanbag? Gives the pup a nice landing spot on the way down, too

Maybe these kitty stairs will inspire you. I really like the cat elevator!
http://catladder.blogspot.com/

whynot_31

give me measurements.

How many stairs
How wide the stairs should be
How high the total rise should be.

How high can the pooch jump? i.e. if you put a biscuit on top of various objects of various heights, can it get up there?

Atter I make the wood part, you'd throw some fabric/carpet on it and have fun with a staple gun.

caseopele

What I used for my big arthritic boy before he passed away last year. Long plastic under the bed storage crate, wooden wine crate stacked on top to make a set of steps. Worked great.

lnelson

interesting concept. some version of that might work for my dog.

i'm sorry you lost your dog last year. that's terrible. i'm thinking when my little guy's time comes, we'll sail off a cliff together in a giant car like thelma and louise.

caseopele

It worked pretty well for my boy who was 65lbs, I started out just using the storage crate and added the wine crate when his arthritis got worse. It'll probably be easier for your little guy since he's smaller and won't need as much room to climb. I can get you a wine crate if you'd like to try it.

Thank you, I was very lucky to have Cheech as long as I did. He was a shepherd mix that I found when he was 8 months old and he was 14 when he died. I was also lucky that he died at home, laying next to me instead of at the vet like my last dog. It made it somewhat easier for my other dog, she got to smell him before we took him away so she understood that he was gone. Cheech never understood what happened what happened to his friend, all he knew was that we took him away and never brought him back. It was really hard for Cheech, he looked for him every time we went out. It was heartbreaking for me to watch. I miss him every day and hope you have many more years with your boy.

Sorry for the threadjack, sort of just came out.

lnelson

"Threadjack" more than understandable. My parents and I are preparing for the seemingly imminent demise of the 16-year-old bichon whose been with the family since forever. It's already heartbreaking. He's mostly deaf and mostly blind and very warty and gets startled when you pet him, but still seems to enjoy doing doggie things like sniffing and eating treats (with his few remaining teeth) and so on.

The wine crate of which you speak would be a wooden one? I'll get back to you on that. I might check some of the local wine places to see if they have some around. Wish I could get those foam steps they sell cheap at PetCo type places, but knowing my dog, they'd become his favorite toy.

caseopele

Even though I'm not a religious person this story that's made the email rounds comforts me.

A dog's purpose

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure.

They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The six-year-old continued,

"Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."