This piece was a nice solution to a "doggy dilemma" that was occurring for one customer. Before the ramp, the owners would lift the dogs onto their bed before going to sleep. This became a problem in the middle of the night when the dogs would jump down to get a drink of water, but would then pant and paw and wake up the owners to let them back up on the bed.
While coming up with a design, I found many dog ramp solutions that were intended to be placed on one side of the bed. I never liked this configuration because it then became an obstacle for whoever used that side of the bed.
My solution was to create a ramp that could be placed at the foot of the bed rather than running up the side. This allowed me to take advantage of the full width of the bed for the ramp area, while still ensuring that the ramp was not too wide to cause problems walking around it.
In order to avoid stubbed toes while walking around the foot of the bed and ramp, I decided to angle the corners, which still gave a decent amount of platform space, but made it much less intrusive while walking around it.
I added the railing to provide a bit more of a sense of security for the pups as they were learning to use the ramp. In reduced light, it helps prevent the dog from wandering off the edge. Plus, I think it just looks neat!
The seconda thing I wanted to accomplish with my design was to create something that was more like an actual piece of furniture than just "fluffy's necessity". To that end, I built in as much storage as I could underneath the ramp and landings. It's a much more elegant way to store any doggy accessories (or spare bedding or anything you want) than just tossing it in a box under the ramp.
Construction is solid oak frame and doors, with oak veneer panels in the bottom shelves and luon panels in the back. The ramp is press board covered in carpet. Each ramp panel is removable for easier cleaning or, in extreme cases, replacement.
Click thumbnails to enlarge
Sectional view - Click to enlarge
Finally, as you can see from the picture at left, I wanted to make the ramp with a modular design. This makes it much easier to move if the room configuration ever changes, and also makes it easier to transport if necessary.
Please note that this ramp is designed for small to medium sized dogs.
