It's no secret we love a good story about animals and ladders, after all it's not something you see every day.  This tale (or should that be tail?) of a pet following his owner on to a roof made us smile when we read it, because the reason the little chap ventured up there was because he missed his owner (despite still being able to see him!).  Bulldog pup Boris, who belongs to roofer Oli Leathers, had been getting lonely in the garden of the house he was working on and had been barking like mad to get his attention, with his paws on the ladder.  The last thing Leathers expected was to look over and find Boris halfway up the ladder but that's exactly what happened.  At just a year old Boris hadn't been adventurous enough to scale the ladder before, but this time he was determined to get that belly rub.  Leathers watched on as Boris scaled the ladder one rung at a time before he was able to reach over and help him on to the roof by his harness.  We suspect Boris now regularly joins his owner at work, although there has been no news on whether Boris is a help or a hindrance on the job.

Another dog on a ladder is Vader, a search and rescue dog with the San Francisco Fire Department.  Footage of Vader climbing along a ladder positioned over rubble shows him deftly navigating the rungs and keeping his balance, as he makes his way over the obstacle.  His handlers didn't teach him specifically to climb ladders, but gave him more general training on navigating tricky situations so he could cope with anything.  San Francisco is prone to earthquakes as it sits on the San Andreas Fault, so search and rescue dogs need to be able to cope with a variety of terrains to find people trapped in rubble.  What a good boy!

Ladders are often used to rescue people and animals from burning buildings, from trees and even from bodies of water and deep holes.  Ladders make ascending and descending very easy, but they can also be used horizontally as a makeshift bridge, to get people from one building to another or to rescue people from ice or other dangerous situations safely and smoothly.  The simple yet versatile design and the sturdy construction make ladders the ideal rescue equipment for many situations.  Even ladders which aren't built from rigid metal can be lifesaving, like fabric escape ladders which fit over a windowsill and provide an escape route, or ship ladders which can be used to get out of the water in an overboard situation or to board a ship in difficulty. 

We hope none of our customers ever finds themselves in a situation where they need an escape ladder, but we are proud to offer one within our range for homes and businesses.  We also hope none of our customers ever need rescuing with any other type of ladder, but we're very thankful they can be used in such an impressive way when needed.