I think how well this style will work for you will depend on the needs of your animal. Works great for my elderly cat who at 18 has some arthritis in in rear legs. He goes up and down them just fine. Very sturdy! I can lean on the steps and am not concerned with it falling apart. Height: 29" (as tall as most desks) Width: 15.5" roughly Depth: 23.5" There are 4 steps contained within that 23.5" base & 29" height. The height from step to step is 7" (bottom of one step to top of the next), and The depth of the step is 8", but since there is a little overhang from step above, then I would say 6.5". Keep this in mind as it may not be deep enough for some dogs to comfortably navigate the steps. I think most cats could handle this. In short: consider how much clearance they need. This is a TALL 29" unit. Is same height as most desks and some beds. The material is a smooth almost plush feel. Some animals may do better with a carpet style. If you have cats and are familiar with the Furhaven self warmer pads, or have Amarkat items, then the material is the same. I have no idea if a dog would use this. I would think that unless they are cat sized, then they would most likely need a less steep angle. This is perfect for a cat. This unit has been FANTASTIC. It was easy, and kind of fun to put together. The instructions were clear, and the labeling of each piece was correct. No headaches or frustration. Put together inside of 15 minutes. The base is a hinged board that becomes one solid board once the poles are attached. I am impressed with how sturdy this 4 step unit is. The carpeting is a soft, plush material. Smooth and short napped, much like their other products.I find it to be amazingly sturdy, especially when it butts up against something. It took my cats a few days to come around to using it, then once they did it became a normal part of their routine. At time of purchase, it was bought for use with my two elderly cats in mind, now at time of writing this just the one :( Both have/had weakness in their rear legs, especially my boy who seems to not be able to jump up. He can pull himself up if it is a soft surface to grab onto, or if the steps are short. My girl, who has passed, was able to jump up and down, but I wanted to provide her the added benefit of not having to. We have a younger cat who has used this, but hasn't had a need for it since he can just jump up and down from places. But it also has a lot to do with the current placement. The 4 step unit is tall. It is 29", so taller than some bed heights. If placed up against a basic bed, it my cat has to step down once he reached the top. If I wanted the steps to be about same height, then I would have gone with the 3 step unit, as it is 25". Anyway, it is exact same as my desk height. It is used as a step to get up onto my desk, which works well. I have an odd set up, which I will explain. My desk then has a twin bed along the same wall, and then another to form an "L" shape.. then a table (which at this point would be on wall across from my desk) where his food and water are. The spot where the table and 2nd bed meet has another set of stairs, but of a different kind (and are shorter). Anyway, this room is set up for the comfort and care of my boy, as well as for my two dogs and other cat. It is where I hang out a lot, so it is where they hang out a lot. For my boy, I like that he can wander the house, then come back to his room and have a couple of options as to how to get on and off the desk/bed/table set up. From there, my kitty can hang out on my desk with me, or he can walk across the bed to another area to rest. Anything for my babies, and this has been a great addition. Now, if I didn't want to use this as a step system for the purpose described, I would find it easy to use it elsewhere in the house, or as part of a larger cat climber set up.
