Elliot versus the stairs

With the addition of our new waterbed, we gained an inch in height much to my dog's dismay. Elliot loves to hang out on our bed. There, he can see out two windows in our bedroom where he watches over our yard.

When we are gone, Elliot sits on our bed.

When I clean, he sits on our bed.

When Tom reads, he sleeps on our bed.

On the weekends, he sits between us on our bed and waits for someone to wake-up. When it is storming, he is on the bed.

Elliot is ten now. His hips ache. He can still jump, but the bed proved to be a challenge. Not that he didn't attempt it. He did. Unfortunately, his back end had trouble catching up to his front end. The first time he tumbled backward on to the floor. I worried that he worried he was getting older. I mean, what was going through his mind? One day the bed was jumpable, and the next day it wasn't.

So, I suggested we purchase some stairs. I had ordered a set for my friend Jim's dog, and they were sturdy, washable, and a reasonable price. Instead, Tom opted to order a different set of stairs from a company where he orders Elliot's treats and supplements.

When the stairs arrived, they were cloth, had no sides, and were way too short. There were only three steps that left a gap from the top to the bed, almost another step wide. 

Elliot couldn't jump the last bit because the stairs were too narrow and because his hind legs were down on the first step. We tried. Madison came home from work every day and worked to train him to climb the stairs, but eventually, we knew we needed another set of stairs.

Tom: "The stairs are fine. I measured them. He'll get it."

He didn't get it. He could go down the stairs, but he couldn't go up the stairs. Tom had to admit defeat, and he ordered another set of stairs. We took to putting Elliot on the bed whenever we were in the room.

When the new stairs arrived, Darcy and I set them up and then spent a good half an hour wondering if Tom was an idiot. The stairs were so narrow we worried Elliot would never conquer the climb. Turns out, we had them turned wrong. Tom declared us idiots, and Maddy went back to her training method. Elliot grew fat with all the treats and never climbed the stairs unless something tasty was involved.

We all had ideas. I said the dog needed security with something on both sides. Tom said he just had to get used to it. Darcy speculated on the stair's sturdiness. Eventually, we gave up, and I proceeded to trip over them every time I tried to round the corner of my bed.

Then, one day Maddy witnessed him walk up the stairs as if it was nothing. And then a day later, I watched him jump up on the bed as if it was nothing.

Either he'd been practicing when we were gone, or he'd stopped worrying about aging. Or, more likely, he was playing with us for treats.

Dog stairs/owners 0. Elliot 1.