- Kerry Marie McGrath shared a TikTok video of her elderly dog, Sadie, using a homemade elevator.
- McGrath's dad made it after she "freaked out" that the dog could no longer use the stairs.
When Kerry Marie McGrath worried that her elderly dog could no longer use the stairs, her dad came up with a genius solution.
A video shared to TikTok shows the New Jersey family's 17-year-old dog, Sadie, using an elevator made by McGrath's dad. The video, which was posted earlier this week, has been viewed 11 million times as of Thursday.
"When you freak out about your senior dog not being able to walk down the stairs so your handy dad builds a doggie elavator [sic]," McGrath captioned the video.
@kerrymariegabriele When you freak out about your senior dog not being able to walk down the stairs so your handy dad builds a doggie elavator #dogsoftiktok ♬ Livin' My Best Life
In the video, McGrath's dad guides Sadie onto a platform at the top of some steps. He shuts a door behind her, and then presses a button for the platform to lower to the ground. At the bottom, he opens a second door and Sadie walks out.
"Good girl!" the family tells her.
TikTok users can't get enough of the invention, calling it "genius" and "awesome."
"As an elderly dog lover, and a person who has a 15yr old dog right now.....this is AMAZING!" one wrote.
"This is love," another added.
In an earlier video showing Sadie nuzzling her, McGrath says the dog, who they call their "Polar Bear Princess," is "surviving cancer."
The invention might just be what the dog needs to keep her spry. Dr. Whitney Miller, the chief veterinarian at Petco, previously told Insider that it's important to keep elderly dogs moving.
"We might kind of lean towards just letting them rest because they slow down a bit, but it's super important for them to have some level of exercise, even if it's just a short walk three to four times a day just to make sure that they're getting that outdoor time and exercising those muscles," Miller said.
She also recommended offering ramps or stairs so they can get on furniture.