If you’ve ever owned an elderly dog, you do everything in your power to make your best fur friend comfortable, as things often get harder for them to manage.
If you have small dogs, you may put a ramp by your bed, or pick them up and put them down when they have to tackle the stairs. If you have more than one pup, however, carrying them all may be difficult.
One woman with four small rescue dogs, three of whom are elderly, decided to take their comfort to a whole new level. Sonya Karimi is an occupational therapist in New Orleans, so she knew just what to do to make her pups more mobile.
While stuck at home during quarantine, she and her boyfriend, Zach Grate, built their own “Doggie-vator,” a makeshift stairlift for their elderly rescued pugs George, Bodhi, and Sam.
Bodhi has suffered a knee problem and can’t make the stairs, but all of the four dogs in the household use the lift— even the youngest Emmy, who, like most pugs, is fairly lazy.
As you can see in the video, it’s just like taking a standard elevator—the dogs wait their turn at the lift door and hop in.
Sonya or Zach operates the small motor that moves the lift up and down.
And here’s a look from the top of the stairs.
They both thought there would be a learning curve before the pups began to appreciate it. To their surprise, they took to it like ducks to water—now they don’t want to take the stairs any other way.
What have you done to make senior pets more comfortable in your home? Let us know in the comments below!
