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Just like with aging humans, senior dogs who suffer from joint pain or muscle issues can find living in a home with stairs difficult. In many cases, a dog may just stay on the ground floor because going upstairs is too much for them.
One family in South Carolina couldn’t bear to leave their 15-year-old dog Jackson downstairs all the time due to his hip dysplasia. So, they made a pretty significant investment: an elevator.
The Things We Do For Our Dogs
Okay, so technically, it’s a regular working elevator, theoretically to be used by a single person at a time. The elevator was installed during home renovations to make accessing the upper floors easier for the homeowners as they get older. But for now, we’ll say it’s a dog elevator specifically, and it’s adorable.
A TikTok video posted by @loganmend624 (a.k.a. Logan) shows Jackson, the 15-year-old Yellow Lab, sitting in a transparent, tube-shaped elevator.
“When you’re 15 and the best boy ever so your parents get you an elevator,” the caption reads.
Jackson can’t really use the elevator by himself since someone needs to open the door for him. But it does allow him to go wherever his family members are without the pain of climbing steps.
Some in the comments tried to claim Jackson is “terrified” inside the tubevator (a contraction I just made up), but in a follow-up Q&A video, Logan explained:
“He loves it, it’s much easier than carrying him up the stairs. And for those of you that said he’s terrified, he’s not, he loves it, he just jumps right in.”
Less pessimistic people pointed out that the elevator is certainly doing its job in making life easier for Jackson.
“Lots of people making fun of this, but as a Veterinary nurse with a passion in OA management this makes me SO HAPPY!!!!!” – @scottishwolflass via TikTok
Giving Back To Our Dogs (Within Our Own Budgets)
Of course, several pointed out the likely costs of installing an elevator in your house are prohibitive to most dog parents. No, we can’t all do this for our senior pups, but isn’t it nice to see that some would choose to use their money to improve a beloved dog’s life?
“My life goal is to be rich enough to give my dog the life she deserves like your good boi.” – @kim.rose.art via TikTok
Oh the things I would get for my dog if I had a bigger budget. If you can’t afford an elevator (most of us can’t), you can always try DIY ways to make your senior dog’s life easier, like this makeshift lift one Bulldog parent made.
