Slippery/Steep Deck Stairs

[Mountaineer370]

Knowing that many of the orchid lovers here are also dog lovers, as well as being handy around the yard/patio/porch, etc., I thought I would ask for suggestions.

My two large dogs are now 12 and 13 years old and are starting to have significant trouble going up and down the stairs from the deck to the yard. There are four steps that must be negotiated, if you count the top surface of the deck, and they are somewhat narrow and steep. I'm trying to come up with a safe solution and I'm weighing several different options.

In a perfect world, I would have a contractor come and install a long ramp along the back side of the deck, which is 20 feet long. That way, the angle would be spread out and not be too steep. This would be the most difficult solution, I believe, largely because of the difficulty in getting an appointment with contractors around here. It is not a do-it-yourself project. I don't have the skill, and my husband has health issues and can no longer take on big projects like that. I'm also worried about what it would be like in winter, trying to keep snow and ice off of a 20-foot long ramp. I shovel our deck all the time, but the idea of shoveling a long sloped surface like that scares me.

I've also looked into various types of strips that can be put down on steps for the very purpose of making them less slippery. Most of what I'm seeing has some kind of self-stick surface, but I wonder how well they would stick to natural wood, a porous and uneven surface. This may only be a partial solution, anyway, since part of the issue seems to be the slipperiness of the steps, but the other issue is them being able to lift their achy joints up and down each step.

The other thing I'm thinking of is replacing the current set of stairs with something that extends out farther, thus spreading the slope out and making it less steep, putting an extra step in there, so the rise between steps is shorter, and making the steps a little wider, meaning from front to back, to provide more surface area. This is a do-it-yourself project that I think maybe the two of us could accomplish together.

I am open for any other suggestions or ideas, especially from those of you with dogs who have perhaps dealt with these kinds of issues as they get older or have mobility issues.

For now, I have a short portable wheelchair ramp that I can put over two or three of the four steps, so they really only have to step down once and then have the non-skid ramp to go the rest of the way. It's not a perfect solution because it is a short ramp so is still a little on the steep side, but I think they like it better than all the steps.