Rudy is a 10-year-old yellow Lab, about 78 pounds, and he started slowing down around age 8. Getting up after a nap took longer, and the three steps off the back porch turned into a negotiation. Some mornings he would stand at the top of those steps for a full minute before he decided to commit, and a couple of times he just turned around and came back inside, which broke my heart a little. Our vet was clear that his hips are stiff, not broken, and that keeping him moving matters more than letting him rest all day. That is why I bought the LOOBANI lift harness about six months ago, and why I keep reaching for it on bad-hip days. I keep a notebook of what changes and what does not, and the harness earned its place in it. It is not a fix for arthritis. It is a way to stay in the habit of moving.
A lift harness is not a wheelchair and it is not a cure. It is a set of handles that lets you take some weight off your dog's back end for the moments that are hardest: standing up, the porch steps, getting into the car. If you have an older dog, here are the ten reasons I think it is worth having in the closet.
Give your dog a hand on the hard days
The LOOBANI lift harness is the one I keep by the back door. It takes seconds to put on and it is the difference between a walk and a stay-in day.
Amazon Check Today's Price on Amazon →It turns the porch steps from a barrier back into a doorway
The three steps down to our yard were the first thing Rudy started hesitating on, back when he was about 8 and a half. I tried a few things before the harness. I tried coaxing him with treats, which worked until the treats ran out. I tried lifting his rear with my hands, which worked but left my lower back sore by the end of the week. The LOOBANI changed the math. With the rear handle, I can take enough weight off his hips that he steps down instead of stopping to think about it. He still does the work. I just make it easier. The first morning we did all three steps without a pause, I wrote the date in my notebook. These days he waits for me to pick up the harness before he heads for the door, which tells me he understands the deal.
It saves your back, not just your dog's hips
Before the harness, I was half-lifting a 78-pound dog by the hips, bent over in a way my own back hated. The LOOBANI gives me a handle to lift from, so I can stand closer to upright. At 61, I care about that more than I used to.
It helps with the car door on bad-hip days
Getting into the back of our SUV was Rudy's other trouble spot. The tailgate sits about two feet off the ground, which is nothing to a young dog and a real wall to a stiff old one. I tried a ramp once and he would not go near it, so that experiment ended in the garage. The harness gives me something solid to lift from while he does the jumping part. The first time I used it in the vet parking lot, a woman with a younger dog watched us and asked if he was all right. He was. He just needed a hand. On his good days he does not need me at all. On his bad days, the harness is the difference between a ride to the park and a stay-in day.
It gives a stiff dog a reason to keep walking
The vet told us the worst thing for a stiff old dog is to stop moving. The harness does not carry Rudy, but it takes the fear out of the first few steps. Once he is moving, he is usually fine. That first step is the one he needs help with.
The soft lining means it does not dig into him
Rudy has a short coat and bony hips, and I was worried about a strap rubbing him raw. That worry is why I put off buying a harness for months. The LOOBANI has a thickened design with a soft lining, and after six months of use on walks and steps, he has never had a sore spot. I check him every time I take it off, the way I check his pads after a walk on hot pavement. Nothing. No redness, no rubbed patches, no places where he flinches when I run a hand over his hips.
It is simple enough that my husband will actually use it
Dale is not a gadget person. The LOOBANI goes on over the back and closes with a drawstring. No buckles to line up, no instructions to read twice. If he can use it without asking me, it is simple enough.
It works for the vet parking lot, too
The hardest surface for Rudy is a slick floor, and the vet's lobby is the slickest floor he knows. The harness gives me a way to steady him on the tile without dragging him. It has saved us both from a bad moment more than once.
It is light enough to keep in the car
The whole thing weighs under 15 ounces and folds into a small storage bag. I keep it in the car on vet days and by the back door the rest of the week. A mobility aid only helps if it is where you need it when you need it.
It helps him stand up after a nap
Mornings are the hardest. Rudy's back legs take a minute to remember they work, especially on the tile floor in the bedroom. A quick lift from the rear handle gets him to his feet, and then he is fine. It is not a replacement for his joint supplements. He has been on the Cosequin chewable the vet recommended for about two years, and we add a pump of fish oil to his dinner. Those do the long work of keeping him comfortable. The harness is the extra hand he needs at 7 a.m., before his hips have warmed up and before he is ready to face the day. By the time he is standing, he is usually wagging his tail, ready for breakfast. Some mornings he needs the lift, some mornings he does not, and I let him tell me which kind of morning it is.
It lets him keep his dignity
This is the reason that matters most to me. Rudy does not know he is old. He still wants to meet us at the door and follow Dale to the mailbox. The harness does not embarrass him or hold him back. It just quietly helps him do the things he has always done.
What I'd Skip
I would skip the LOOBANI lift harness if your dog cannot bear any weight on the back legs at all. This is a support tool, not a wheelchair. If your dog's back end is completely limp, or if your vet has told you to keep the dog still, a harness will not fix that and could make things worse. I would also skip it if you are expecting it to replace a visit to the vet. It does not treat arthritis, it does not reduce inflammation, and it does not take the place of the joint supplements your vet recommends. For Rudy, it is one tool among several, and the vet is still the one who calls the shots.
It does not carry Rudy, but it takes the fear out of the first few steps. That first step is the one he needs help with.
Keep the walks going a little longer
If your dog is slowing down, the LOOBANI lift harness is a simple thing to have on hand for the hard moments. It is not a cure, but it is a good helper.
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