[Mikendebbie]

We have a 15 yr old female mix - 42 lbs of border collie and who knows what. We got her from a shelter when she was 2. She is bright, alert and she eats like a champ - just her legs don’t work anymore. I bought a full body harness (lots of sturdy Velcro, a set of long straps front and back and a suitcase handle in the middle) and pick her up by the suitcase handle to carry her up the steps. We also have a ramp that she could use up until a couple of years ago. I had a different harness at the time (more of a walking harness with a handle) and I would basically pickup/support most of her weight and guide/pull her up the ramp. She could sort of still walk - much better than now. For the past year we seldom take the full body harness off expect to wash it and give her a bath. I carry her out and sort of prop her up, and she can hobble a few steps and take care of business. She is too heavy for DW to handle.

Our ramp is narrow - maybe 16” wide. We have had it for 12 yrs (for one our previous seniors). The ramps i see on the market now appear to be even narrower, which is good. I extend the ramp fully and insert a keeper pin to keep it locked at length and set it up on the 2nd step from the top so it is not too steep. I place it at an angle to expose more of the bottom steps for us humans. I have an aluminum step stool on the ground off to the opposite side of the ramp which provides a decent first step/platform landing for DW and I. Thank goodness for the door handle.

I started working from home about a year ago (for other reasons other than to take care of the dog)...about the same time Ferns legs gave out - and I am her full time nurse and assistant. She has a good quality of life with me carrying her around and propping her up to potty. I am happy to do it.