My dog is getting old.

He used to be able to jump right up into my bed each night, snuggling up to sleep next to me.

For the past few months though he hasn’t been able to make the leap.

Bless his little heart, he tries and tries. He stretches his legs and sticks his head up just barely over the mattress. But his legs aren’t strong enough anymore. It’s about the most pitiful thing ever.

So for Christmas Roc got a brand new set of dog stairs. I thought this would be the perfect gift for him. No longer would Roc have to wait on me to lift him up to where he wanted to be. He could help himself into the bed whenever he wanted.

Except Roc won’t use the stairs.

It’s not that my dog has never used stairs before. He knows what they are. He’s been up and down stairs at all sorts of houses and buildings. He just can’t quite figure these stairs out.

My dog is scared of the steps. He will stand right next to them as he struggles to pull himself into the bed, not realizing the solution he’s been searching for is right next to him.

I shake my head night after night, wondering how he could be so ignorant. But then I wonder – how often does this happen to us?

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