A Leg Up for Bear

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Dogs Don’t Eat Pizza

June 10, 2014

Bear, the Dog Who Doesn’t Eat Pizza, is now 13 years old. And while I have informed her that she’s not allowed to get old, it is happening and I can’t deny it. Sigh. Anyway, she is still quite spry for a 13-year-old, but her back legs are not as strong as they once were and she often needs help getting up on the bed. I needed to give her a leg up, as it were.

Meet our new ottoman. It’s a Karlstad from IKEA. I thought about making a step for Bear, but when I calculated the cost to make and upholster it, this ottoman was less expensive (the cover was on clearance for $19; the stool itself was $80).

The proof is in the pudding. Here’s Bear using it last night (the video is sideways; I can’t figure out why or how to turn it):

The ottoman is a good solution because it’s pretty and functional. And Bear is happy, which makes me happy.

Have you ever bought furniture for your pet?

4 responses to “A Leg Up for Bear”

Amy Teal

June 10, 2014

I have a 12 year old dog that we adopted 2 years ago, he has bad knees and hips so we made him a ramp for both bedrooms so he could get up on his own when he wanted to. It works great, the key is to cover the ramp with a joga mat or something that allows his paws to grip the ramp. My 2 younger dogs use the ramps also now, which has got to better for there joints and knees. It was pretty easy to make and didn’t take much time or money and now I have a happy old man =)

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1. Karen Cooper
  
  June 10, 2014
  
  Very cool, Amy! That’s why I wanted to get some nubby upholstery on there – so that she could grip it. She still tries to jump on the bed, so I thought an intermediate jumping place like an ottoman would work. So far, so good! Happy dogs are good! Thanks for sharing your story, too!
  
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Jenny

June 11, 2014

I have an 18 year old cat who is still in perfect health but over the last few months I have noticed that she has started having a bit of trouble jumping and that she is a bit stiff when she has been lying down for a while. When I bought a new bed recently which was a bit higher than my old bed, she had some trouble jumping up. I have a chair in my room which is now on the one side of the bed (in place of a second bedside table) and after a bit of prodding she is now jumping onto the chair and then from the chair to the bed. Since the new placement of the chair also looks very nice, both of us are very happy with this arrangement 🙂

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1. Karen Cooper
  
  June 11, 2014
  
  Great idea! I had to use a treat to get Bear to use the ottoman, but she’s used it a few times now and seems to like it. Thanks for sharing your story!
  
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