Siege of the Sofa

I heard and read that dogs with short legs (in other words, small dogs like Stanley) shouldn't climb stairs or jump up and down from high places.  Well, since I want Stanley to have healthy bones and joints even into his older years, I carry him up and down.  Yep....I carry him.  He's only 5 to 6 pounds and if I position him just right I can carry him and still have use of both of my hands.

When it came to the sofa, though, I was in a quandary.  He couldn't get up on it and I didn't want him jumping down off of it.  Answer:  stairs!  I went to my pet store and bought doggie stairs.  Hmmmm, they looked steep but I went ahead and bought them.  True enough, Stanley wouldn't climb the stairs because they were too narrow and steep.  So, after I returned the doggie stairs I continued to look for a solution.  Answer:  a ramp!  I looked at ramps in doggie magazines but they were either too heavy or too industrial.  I didn't want an eye sore and I didn't want my wooden floors scratched.

Finally, as I walked through Pottery Barn looking for patio furniture I came upon some beautiful large pillows.  Light bulb!!...a ramp of pillows!  I bought pillows from various stores and created a stylish pillow ramp and it worked!  The floor is protected.  The pillow ramp meets my criteria for style and Stanley can climb both up and down with ease.  He even can lounge on the pillows instead of the sofa, which I have found him doing in the afternoon.

Yes, the pillow ramp is the perfect solution.  Who knew the siege ramps used for warfare centuries ago would serve a peaceful and pretty way to help Stanley get on and off the sofa.  ha!