We recently moved into a home with all wood floors, even in the bedrooms. Our pups have always had carpeted bedrooms to give them better traction to jump on the bed and the wood floors were making both jumping up and down more difficult for them. To make matters even more challenging, when we moved we purchased a new mattress set that, at the top, is 26 inches off the ground. There is a gap between the top of the stairs and the top of the bed, but the pups run up the steps onto the bed just like regular stairs, so there was not a need to purchase stairs that were 26 inches tall (and easily would have been $100+).
To put that in perspective, we have Miniature Pinscher/Chihuahua mix (Flapjack) and 2 Pomeranian's (Romeo 7 pounds, Cupid 11 pounds). The tallest one stands about 8 inches at the shoulders. In addition to the pups just being small and the bed being tall, Flapjack is around 13 and has a heart murmur and a sliding patella (knee cap). Cupid is a very insecure jumper on the most solid of surfaces (unless your waving a treat then he can jump buildings in a single bound). Finally, little Romeo is a mamma's boy that is totally oblivious to how delicate he can be. If mom gets up in the middle of the night he has to follow her and make sure everything is kosher. He flies off the bed and sometimes slips on the wood floor with a Klunk sound.
We decided on the Telebrands Doggy Steps for several reasons:
1. We thought they were 18.5 inches tall (actually was long and only 12 inches tall). Will pay closer attention when we upgrade to wooden steps next year as budget allows.
2. They had a removable washable cover
3. The price was $26.00 on Amazon +Free 2 day Shipping
I haven't really had any downsides to these steps. For the $$ they are very sturdy and nicely made. They do have a plastic frame, but it's not flimsy and everything fits together very well. They have rubber grips on the bottom to keep it in place. Ecen though we misunderstood the length to be the height, even at 12 inches tall, my kids don't flinch.
I looked at higher priced stairs that looked fancy, but trying to hold to a budget we choose these steps because they were among the tallest in this price range (and any steps are worth the money, because they are cheaper than a hurting pup with a broken leg).
We did need to lay on top of the bed and guide the dogs with treats to use the steps the first day. We did this one pup at a time, each one twice up and down the stairs. That's all it took. All 3 pups use the stairs to go up and only Romeo still tries to fly off the bed like Super Pup, so we did put an area rug down to give him some landing traction.
All in all a purchase I would definitely recommend to anyone whose pets need a boost, but their wallets can't handle a big boost. However, if your kid has a severe problem with hip dysplasia, arthritis or other joint problem you may need something taller if your pup can't jump the distance from the top step to the surface of your bed/couch, etc...
Amazon.com: TeleBrands Deluxe Doggy Steps: Kitchen & Dining