Lilyfinch, if it's just a few steps going in and out of your house, you can build, or buy, a dog ramp. Look on Craigslist. Someone is always selling one somewhere. The neoprene of indoor/outdoor rugs can feel slippery, but I've not had a problem with the dogs slipping on the braided treads I put on my steps. but then, I have only two steps, plus the floor at the top, on which I don't have a tread, not an entire staircase. If it's really just for the dog, I'd get treads. They're a LOT cheaper than a runner. A runner you either have to have the right tools to install it correctly yourself, or hire someone to install it. If they're not installed correctly, they are a serious slipping hazard. With treads, you just put them down with double-sided tape and a rug pad yourself, and then you can just take them up in the future if you want to do so. Any wood stairs w/o carpeting should be treated with anti-slip stuff so people in socks don't slip and fall. I have a very tough staircase up to the children's bedroom. It's very steep and the treads are very narrow, but there is no carpet on them. A carpet would make them more dangerous because of the narrowness of the treads. But they are treated, so they aren't slippery at all. Nosoccermom, if your treads are wide enough, the anti-slip stuff might be enough for your dog.

Pad is a good idea. Two reasons. One, more comfort. Two, the runner will degrade(flatten out) without pad. It can be a thinner pad. Stair carpet takes more stress and strain than flooring carpet. Feet sliding, body weight on each foot for a longer time period, and twisting.

If you paid for a 'retread' then you might only get new wood on the treads. If you paid for the spindles to be removed, the Red Oak removed and replaced with matching white oak, then you have a right to be upset. It all depends on the contract. Stairs are tricky. They are expensive, they are tiring, they are tricky and then are (once again) expensive. **If your original talk (ie. contract) spoke about staining, the GC (not a wood professional by any stretch of the imagination) would assume the two woods could be matched once stain went down (very common to work this way). If you then changed your mind and went with a natural finish, the Red Oak stringers became a liability that never were properly addressed after that (ie. paid for removal). Did your GC use a finishing Carpenter? If s/he did not, the GC was saving money. What used to be on the stair treads? Do you have photos of before (old coverings) and after (new wood with finish)?

@SeattleBridge not going to assume you're in Seattle, but if you are, all the better. If the designer who posted the project isn't able to give you the source as Jilly suggested or if it's custom and unavailable to you, find a locally owned carpet/company store and ask them for suggestions to find the carpet or have something similar made. Locally owned carpet stores often have staff who have been in the business for years and know all the manufacturers' designs. If they find it for you, buy it from them, don't get it cheaper online and likely, they will match any online price. There is a value in knowledge worth paying for.