Unless you own a small dog that insists on riding shotgun or on the lap of a front seat passenger, the chances are pretty good that your pup sits in the backseat of your SUV, truck, or car when you travel. If you have a dog that needs the assistance of a ramp to get into and out of your vehicle, there are really only two paths to get your dog into that back seat.
SUV and crossover owners with a clean back compartment can set up a dog ramp from the back of the vehicle, taking advantage of an SUVās large hatch opening. But, what if the back of your SUV is always packed with stuff, or you own a pickup truck or car with no back hatch?Ā The only convenient entry point for a dog that needs help getting into the back seat is through the side door.
How to Safely Use a Pet Ramp for Side Entry into Your VehicleĀ
The PetStep folding pet ramp can be safely used for side entry into your car, truck, SUV, or van. Depending on the vehicle, like a van that opens to a flat floor, the PetStep ramp can be used alone by simply resting it on the door sill of the vehicle to allow your dog to walk into the car. But, what if you your dog likes to ride in the back seat and can’t safely navigate from the floor to the seat?Ā
More often than not, when a ramp is used to help a dog up to the back seat of an SUV or truck, the ramp must sit on the back seat where it can wobble.Ā This unsteadiness can scare a pup and owner alike!
To solve this problem, PetStep has designed a unique feature in all of it’s ramps and a kit to make side-door entry easy.Ā We call it the PetStep Side Door Dog Ramp Kit!
The Side Door Dog Ramp consists of our award winning PetStep ramp combined with a special-purpose support strap that is guaranteed to make the ramp very stable when the ramp rests on the back seat of any vehicle.Ā The PetStep Side Door Entry Strap has the following features.
- Constructed of heavy-duty nylon.
- Fully adjustable cam buckle clip meets the height of any car door opening.
- One end of the side entry support strap is a steel hook that securely attaches to the PetStep folding ramp.
- The other end is a rubber-coated door hook that supports the ramp without scratching the paint on your vehicleās door.Ā
Installing the Side Entry Support Strap Takes Only Seconds!
- Simply insert the steel hook into the opening at the top of the PetStep ramp.Ā
- After making sure the steel hook is secure, position the rubber-coated door hook over the window frame of your vehicleās door.Ā
- Finally, lift the tab on the adjustment buckle to tailor the length of the strap, making sure it is taught and the ramp is held in place. Relock the tab to secure the strap.Ā
- Now, the strap should be supporting the edge of the PetStep ramp, preventing it from tipping to the side.
