Stairway to Heaven

We both have the motivation to jump right into the back of "mom's" SUV (whose rear seats are almost always folded down) on a moment's notice. Astro has the agility to make the jump even though there's not much headroom. But Cosmo, who had some joint and back troubles as a puppy with his first owner, isn't quite as athletic. And even "dad" doesn't have the strength to lift us in - as if we'd put up with such humiliation in the first place.

"Dad" got one of those folding ramp things, but we're not into high-wire acts and refuse to trust it. Then he noticed that we have no trouble with stairs in the house, so he made us this nifty set of portable steps instead. They're light enough that "mom" can easily toss them in the car for trips, and were simple and inexpensive to build as well.

The steps were made from foam insulation board from the home improvement store. "Dad" cut the 1.5" thick sheet into five 1x2-foot sections for the top step, and five 2x2-foot sections for the bottom section. A layer of thick corrugated cardboard on the two 1x2-foot step surfaces adds protection from toenail punctures, and a strip of carpet remnant wraps around the whole thing for a sturdy non-slip surface. The layers were glued together with "gorilla" glue; hot glue should work also. The carpet was creased to fit, glued on, and some duct tape (a "dad" signature) added to keep the seams secure.

So now we know it's a doggy road trip when the steps come out, and the car goes from zero to two dogs in less than a second.