Miniature Schauzers are people too. Or at least they think they are.
I knew that I needed to come up with some pet stairs when I noticed something uncharacteristic of my mom's 12 year old Mini Schnauzer. The dog that once had no trouble leaping up onto my parents bed, had started to require assistance to take her place up there. (If you have witnessed an older dog back up with hesitance and lack of confidence in their eyes, you know how heartbreaking this milestone of old age is for a dog owner to see.) The other side of this situation, is my mom's current stage in recovery from back surgery, and her inability to continue lifting her dog. I needed to build something.
When coming up with this design, I had to consider this particular dog. She is advanced in age, has achy joints, and an old foreleg break at the joint that affects her ability to handle normal stairs easily. A few small jumps would be ideal. That meant she would need a couple platforms, instead of several small steps. Even a ramp would put added pressure on the forelegs as she descended.
I also had to consider the space in my parents bedroom. When my mom's back is fully healed, she may feel like moving it out of the way which means this project needed to be stored under the bed.
Finally, one last detail: her 4 grandkids. (Boys that climb things.) The level of sturdiness I wanted to achieve called for thicker plywood, but this project could be built with a more lightweight selection.
Miniature Schauzers are people too. Or at least they think they are. I knew that I needed to come up with some pet stairs when I noticed something uncharacteristic of my mom's 12 year old Mini Schnauzer. The dog that once had no trouble leaping up onto my parents bed, had started to require assistance to take her place up there. (If you have witnessed an older dog back up with hesitance and lack of confidence in their eyes, you know how heartbreaking this milestone of old age is for a dog owner to see.) The other side of this situation, is my mom's current stage in recovery from back surgery, and her inability to continue lifting her dog. I needed to build something. When coming up with this design, I had to consider this particular dog. She is advanced in age, has achy joints, and an old foreleg break at the joint that affects her ability to handle normal stairs easily. A few small jumps would be ideal. That meant she would need a couple platforms, instead of several small steps. Even a ramp would put added pressure on the forelegs as she descended. I also had to consider the space in my parents bedroom. When my mom's back is fully healed, she may feel like moving it out of the way which means this project needed to be stored under the bed. Finally, one last detail: her 4 grandkids. (Boys that climb things.) The level of sturdiness I wanted to achieve called for thicker plywood, but this project could be built with a more lightweight selection.