Dog Community

Securing a outside stairwell

DPU

Posted : 10/27/2008 8:14:13 AM

A wonderful family has agreed to adopt my fosters together, Bob (120lbs bullmastiff) and Vaughn (55lbs collie mix). They have a huge beautiful home. They kind of fibbed about how much of their backyard is enclosed with 4 foot high fence. But what concerns me the most is that they have a cement stairwell outside leading to the basement. This stairwell is open to 3 sides of the yard and is ground level. Its just an unsecure big cement hole in the ground. The danger was so apparent when Bob was running around the yard and because of his built, his momentum does not allow him to stop on a dime. Vaughn is agile so the concern was not that great for me. Their previous dog never had an accident.

Anyway, I can't stop thinking of the danger to Bob that if he fell in he would be killed or severly injured and because of his weight it would be next to impossible to get him immediate care. The family recognized this and is also very concerned with this danger. They want to take possession of the dogs next weekend and want to come up with a temporary solution before a permanent enclosure can be built around the stairwell. They are on vacaction this week so the solution has to be something that can be done in hours. I have offered to keep Bob and Vaugh until a permanet enclosure can be built.

Any ideas that I can offer them?

mdvetter81

Posted : 10/27/2008 8:48:08 AM

16 inch " solid " concrete block are extremely heavy and fairly immobile when just placed in a desired location ( not mortarred ) .........

the opening could be outlined with them ............

would give the dogs a visual to the opening ............

could be crawled over by humans....... if there was an emergency in the basement

" solid " concrete blocks are available in 4" ..... 8" ..... 12" ...... 16" sizes .......

16" are the biggest and heaviest ............. why i forementioned them

but a combination could be used .... with proper measuring

mudpuppy

Posted : 10/27/2008 9:28:28 AM

piece of plywood over the opening?

shadowsgin

Posted : 10/27/2008 9:32:00 AM

I am so happy to hear about Bob and Vaughn getting to go together! I put up heavy hog panels when we got Hot Shot (150 lb Berner). It was fairly easy, and heavy duty, not real expensive. Went to Tractor Supply bought fence stakes, 4'x16' hog panel, used a heavy duty wire cutter (borrowed from a neighbor) to cut to size, made one panel removeable to access the area I was closing off. It took very little time and has done the trick quite well.

fuzzy_dogs_mom

Posted : 10/27/2008 3:40:49 PM

mudpuppy

piece of plywood over the opening?

This is what the city does when they're doing some sort of street repairs. They just cover the hole with a large piece of board. If the stairwell isn't used very often, maybe the board could be weighted down with large bricks on the corners.

Joyce

luvmyswissy

Posted : 10/27/2008 8:28:01 PM

I have 10 pieces of this heavy plastic baby gate and use it for everything pertaining to my dogs. They are interlocking, so you can kinda just make a "U' from the house around the opening - they don't have to complete a circle. It is not secured (althought it probably could be) so it can't be moved but the dogs will see it and run around it and not accidentally fall through it. We stretch ours around a corner in our garage were we keep our trash so the dogs can't get in it. My DH uses it to block off the front steps when painting or for anything else we need to keep the dogs away from. They are heavy and very strong and stable. Congrats on the adoptions!!

http://www.chitchatbaby.com/Summer-Infant--Secure-Surround-Play-Safe-Play-Yard_p_24-3280.html