How to Make Pet Steps

Maybe your beloved pet has been injured or is ill, and can't jump up on the couch to her favorite napping spot. Or perhaps your best friend is aging, and finds it difficult, if not impossible, to climb into your vehicle for a spin down to the park with you. Portable pet steps are ideal for these situations, but they're very expensive.
You can easily make your own pet steps for very little money, and you don't need the skills of an engineer or the tools of a carpenter. It's easy to adjust the dimensions of this basic design to suit your pet and your situation, depending upon things like her size, the objects to be accessed, and your pet's physical condition. You can even add more steps if you need to.

Things You'll Need

Old newspapers
Ruler
Utility or hobby knife
Glue
Stapler
Paint
4 1-inch thick sheets of Styrofoam, 18-by-36 inches
Non-skid coating aerosol spray
2 pieces of carpeting, 18-by-18 inches (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Spread several layers of old newspapers out on a flat working surface. Use the ruler and pencil to divide one sheet of Styrofoam in half. Cut it into two 18-inch squares with a utility or hobby knife.
- 2
  Cover one side of one of the squares with a thin layer of glue and stick it onto the other square, forming a block that is 2 inches thick. Make sure that all of the sides line up nicely, and set the block aside to let the glue to dry completely.
- 3
  Make a 3-inch-thick block out of the remaining sheets of Styrofoam by gluing them all together in an 18-by-36-inch stack. Allow the glue to dry completely.
- 4
  Cover one side of the 18-inch block with glue and stick it on top of one end of the 36-inch block. Make sure that all the edges of the steps line up evenly, and let the glue dry.
- 5
  Paint your pet steps and let them dry. Coat the flat upper surfaces with a non-skid aerosol spray to give your pet good traction on them. Alternatively, glue or staple some carpeting to the flat surfaces.