No More Lifting: The Ramp That Saved My Back and My Golden's Hips

The morning I finally said it out loud, Dale was already in the driver's seat. 'I can't keep lifting him.' Rusty, our 11-year-old Golden Retriever, was standing at the open door of the SUV, tail wagging, waiting for the ride he loves. And I, at 64, with a back that has opinions about everything I do, was looking at 70 pounds of good dog and doing the math. Every vet visit, every trip to my sister's, every Saturday when he rides along to the golf course, it was the same routine: brace, lift, grunt, hope.

Rusty is stiff in the back hips when he first gets up, the way I am after a long morning in the garden. He still loves his 20-minute walk, still trots ahead of me on the sidewalk, but the jump into the car stopped being a jump about a year ago. He would stand there, front paws on the seat, back legs unsure, and I would end up doing most of the work. My senior fitness class taught me better than to lift like that, and my back was reminding me anyway.

A friend from class mentioned the PetSafe Happy Ride Folding Dog Ramp. She used one for her old Lab and said it weighed almost nothing. I looked it up, read the specs, and ordered it the same week. It showed up in a box that was surprisingly easy to carry: 10 pounds, with listed dimensions of 62 inches long, 16 inches wide, and 4 inches tall. That part mattered to me, because our one-story house does not have a lot of spare storage.

The first time we used it, I set it on the tailgate, let the rubber feet find the bumper, and called Rusty. He walked up like he had been doing it his whole life. The high-traction treads gave him something to grip, and the side rails gave him something to aim for. I stood at the top with a treat, he took three steps, and just like that, the hardest part of our day was gone.

At 10 pounds, I can set it up myself. At a 150-pound capacity, it holds Rusty with room to spare.

What surprised me most was how much easier the whole routine became. The ramp has a safety release latch, so it stays locked out flat while Rusty walks, and the four rubber feet keep it from sliding on the bumper. I am not a handy person. I do not want a ramp that takes an engineering degree to set up. This one clicks into place, I give it a quick shake to make sure it is seated, and we are ready. It is also made in the USA, which mattered to me, and PetSafe backs it with a warranty.

Rusty is 11 and about 70 pounds, and he is not the only senior dog in our neighborhood. My neighbor's shepherd mix has the same problem at the car door. What I tell everyone is the same thing I tell myself: the ramp is not a fix for stiff hips, it is a way to keep moving without making things worse. We still do our morning walk, he still takes the three back-porch steps slowly, and he still rides along to the golf course on Saturdays. The ramp just took the part of the ride that hurt both of us and made it easy.

There are honest cons, and I would not write this without them. It is plastic, so it is light, but you want to store it somewhere it will not get knocked around. It takes up space in the back of the SUV when it is folded, though it is flat enough to slide under the back seat. And not every dog takes to it on the first try. Give yours a few days and a pocketful of treats. If your dog has a diagnosed condition, check with your veterinarian before changing how they get in and out of the car. That is what I did, and it is what I would tell anyone.

The first real test came two weeks in, when Rusty had his annual vet visit. Same SUV, same old dog, but this time I opened the back, set the ramp, and let him walk down to the pavement. The vet tech asked if he was getting younger. I laughed and said no, we just bought him a ramp.

Dale was skeptical at first. He is a 'just lift him, he is fine' kind of guy, and for a while I think he saw the ramp as a sign that Rusty was getting old, which none of us wanted to admit. Then he watched me set it up in about thirty seconds, watched Rusty walk down it without a second thought, and said, 'Okay, that is smart.' Now he grabs it from the back of the SUV before I even ask.

What I'd Tell You If We Were Sitting at My Kitchen Table

If you have a big dog who is slowing down, measure your car door before you buy anything. The PetSafe Happy Ride is designed to fit most SUV, van, car and truck models, and the 62-inch length is enough for our SUV, but every vehicle is a little different. Then give yourself a week of practice at home before you need it in a hurry. And remember the ramp is a tool, not a cure. Keep up the gentle daily walks, keep the footing sure around the house, and talk to your vet about anything that changes. That is the whole honest truth from my kitchen table.