stairway to heaven
Prepare yourself for a truly shocking revelation:
Maisie is the heart of our family, the center of our universe. We'd do anything for her if it would bring a smile to her face and a wiggle to her backside, if it would, in any measure, improve the quality of her days.
Okay, maybe not so shocking, not if you've ever read a single one of my pooch-related posts or viewed the photo albums from most any occasion over the last seven years. What can I say? We love our dog. Like her canine sisters and brother before her, she is, in every way, family.
So when Maisie developed a slight limp earlier this month, Dennie and I went into full protective-parent mode. If she'd suffered nothing more than a muscle strain from her patented Scary Bananas maneuvers in the backyard (some may call them zoomies, but the word fails to capture the terrifying speed and agility of our girl in flight), a few days, maybe a week, of rest would see her right as rain. If, as we suspected, she was beginning to show early signs of arthritis, keeping her up and moving daily would actually do her joints good. Obviously, we couldn't do both concurrently, so we let her rest her legs for a week, much to her chagrin, then resumed exercise of gradually increased intensity to ensure that her muscles didn't atrophy, that her joints didn't inflame and stiffen. She's now returned to her euphoric, energetic self, relishing every second of outdoor playtime. But prescribing a period of rest first didn't mean Dr. Mom's work was done.
Maisie is a nine-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd-beagle mix. Eventual arthritis, hip dysplasia are practically givens, though we do all we can to improve her odds. For years, I've even researched any number of pet steps and ramps to facilitate human-bed access for our dog without the repetitive damage of a hard floor landing. The trouble was that none of the sturdier options would fit in the space available between the bed and the wall. Others that might have squeezed into the allotted space were much too dangerous, consistently noted (in consumer reviews) to tip over or sag under the weight of larger dogs, despite manufacturers' weight-limit specifications that should have deemed them safe. The last thing we wanted was for Maisie to fall and break a leg in the service of sparing her joints. To quote an old, familiar idiom, that'd be a bit like throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
I did find suitable stairs this time--carpeted to keep our dog's feet from slipping, gently sloped to facilitate a more natural, more fluid canine gait. Unlike most pet steps out there, these not only fit our space, they are durably constructed with a broad base and solid center support. In other words, these steps wouldn't tip over, not even if our dog shifted her entire mass onto one outer edge. Plus, they're the only brand designed with extra-wide steps for the broader stance of large-breed dogs. A heavy-duty plastic mobility aid alongside the bed may not look as aesthetically pleasing as some of the other options, but, after reading hundreds of reviews on dozens of products, I knew we wouldn't find a sturdier, safer solution for our beloved baby. The only question was: would she use them?
Admittedly, Maisie was skeptical at first. I'd ordered the stairs the moment I noticed her limp. They arrived within two days, and I assembled them immediately. The sooner our girl stopped vaulting on and off the bed, the better. Maisie is wicked smart, which no doubt aided the process along. With a bag of tasty training bits in hand, paired with plenty of praise, I guided her up and down the steps the first few times she accessed the bed. She quickly got the hang of it, though it was clear she'd have rather jumped. Because of this, I kept the bedroom door closed in the beginning. I couldn't be certain she'd use the stairs in my absence, and I didn't want her leaping over them onto the slippery hardwood floor, where she'd likely stumble and/or slide head first into the wall.
That was two weeks ago. Since then, we've watched Maisie's confidence grow daily. To climb into the cushy, heavenly softness of Mommy's mattress, she now uses those steps with ease every time, whether I'm present in the room or not. And when she's ready to get down, she descends to the floor with a gliding stride as easygoing as if she were only taking a stroll down the hall. We call them her Superhero Steps, because, with the adversity she overcame in her youth, with the loving, nurturing life she's led so far, with the grace with which she has aged, she deserves nothing less. She may have inspired a superhero sidekick in my fictional series, The Sylver Platter, but in real life, it's Maisie Moon who saves the day--every day--and always, always steals the show.
pet gear easy step ii extra wide pet stairs
I don’t earn any kind of perks or affiliate fees for recommending this item. I am just so thankful to have found this product and wished to share it with fellow dog lovers in hopes that the review posted below will result in bettering the lives of other senior, injured, or ailing companion animals.
Hugs and kisses to all the pups and warmest thanks to the parents who love them.
Why Pet Gear is the Best Choice for Large-Breed Dogs
Anyone who has read The Sun Orbits My Dog or Moonlight of the Talking Dog knows that the happiness, health, and safety of my furry companions is my number-one priority. In thirty years of dog parenting, I am now aiding a senior dog through mobility issues for the third time, and I dearly wish I'd found these steps ages ago. As my 76 lb. German Shepherd-beagle, Maisie, is only in the early stages of arthritis (as well as being a veritable genius), teaching her to use these stairs to access the bed required only minimal guidance and some tasty treats. (Your mileage may vary, but the results of patient, positive-reinforcement training will be well worth your time.) The impact when a dog leaps off a high mattress contributes significant wear and tear to their joints. After the first week, I could already see in Maisie’s gait the benefits of walking down from the bed rather than jumping to the floor.
So, when it comes to large-breed dogs, why Pet Gear and not one of the numerous other choices out there?
Let me first say, I have read hundreds of reviews on almost every pet-step product available in the U.S. Some of them are more aesthetically pleasing, true, but none of them compare to the rock-solid sturdiness and durability of this one. Where others are consistently noted to tip over or sag under the weight of a larger dog (despite weight-limit specifications given by the manufacturers), this one isn’t going anywhere. It’s made of a heavy-duty plastic with a solid center support underneath that—provided you don’t literally have a pet elephant—maintains the structural stability of the piece. Plus the extra-wide steps safely accommodate the broader stance of larger breeds, allowing them to use this product with confidence. These are the only stairs I came across to offer this option. As fellow big-dog lovers know, it can be hard to find quality products of any kind that are made with our heftier, wholly huggable breeds in mind. Would these be great for little dogs too? I don’t see why not. The inherent safety and sturdiness of the design would be a boon to any pet parent, and, while the narrower version would suffice for a single small dog, if you have multiple energetic little furries clambering to reach the bed at the same time, the extra-wide steps may better serve the needs of you and your hyperactive crew.
The steps aren’t terribly heavy, so moving them from place to place is simple enough, and assembly is relatively easy as well. There are no tools or hardware required, nor long, complicated instructions. Each piece is well labeled and simply “snaps” into its adjoining pieces. Once you get them in all the way, they lock into place, so no worries that your pet’s stairs will fall apart again. Some of these will slide in without much exertion; others require the kind of pressure that, if you’re a cartoon, will make your eyes pop out of your head. (If you’re not a cartoon, the risk of this is extremely low and should not deter you from buying this product.) The manufacturer recommends a little dish soap to ease in more difficult pieces; I did not try this, but I can see how that might have helped. The riser pieces (those thin panels beneath each step) are among the trickiest to get in because there are only “prongs” on the end, thus leaving you no flat or smooth place to press against. Hand-saving tip: take one of the foam corner pieces from the packing box, place it over the riser “prongs” and push against that instead to cushion the heel of your hands. You may also want a second person on hand to help push the final side into place as there are many holes to keep in alignment. It can be done alone, but it is easier with two.
I don’t often leave reviews, but this product (from the same company that makes Vermont Juvenile Furniture) has genuinely impressed me. In fact, within days of receiving my first order, I purchased a second one. Maisie now enjoys less strenuous bed access on both floors of our home, one in the light gray and one in the chocolate brown. The latter will travel between an upstairs bedroom and the car when we take Maisie out hiking, and the lighter color is perfect for the bedroom where we sleep as it is easier to see in the dark. No more tripping over the brown stairs at two o'clock in the morning, not for me or for Maisie, though, admittedly, the tripping was almost exclusively mine. Maisie does, however, seem noticeably more confident using the lighter-colored ones in a darker room.
There are cheaper and more decorative options out there, but you won’t find a safer or sturdier set of stairs to aid and protect your beloved dog. And, whether you’re raising kids of the canine or human variety, that’s the whole point of parenting—to protect the well-being of our little loves and give them the best lives we can.
Special thanks to Jez Timms for the beautiful white stairwell photo used in this post.