Pet doors

[Ranger Mom]

Does anyone have one??

We are in the process of building a private patio off of our bedroom. I want to install a pet door so my two little dogs can come and go as they please, and not have to worry about the big dogs in the backyard harassing them.

I was listening to Good Morning America this morning and they were talking about the dangers of pet doors....saying they have killed close to 100 toddlers.

Well....that just shot that idea all to hades, because I have grandbabies.

When the report came it on, it wasn't that the door itself killed the kids, it was what happened when they got out....like drowning in the backyard pool!! The family they interviewed, who lost their 2 y/o son in the pool, are suing the manufacturer of the doggy door.

Now.....isn't that the parents responsibility to supervise their children??

They are claiming that because there was no warning on the door, they didn't realize the danger.

IMO, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that if their dog, which wasn't a little dog, can go through it, their child might be able to also!!

I do agree....there should be some type of label that says that small children may be able to come and go like the animals.....but I would think that would be common sense anyway.

IMO, the company didn't do anything worthy of being sued over. I see negligence on the parent/caretaker part first.

[waterboy]

What good would a label on the doggy door do? I've never met any toddlers who can read!:D

[LHexPlayer]

I have a pet door but it is on the storm door so we can close the back door and the baby won't be able to go through it. I worry about that because we have a pool and a 3 month old. You just have to watch your kiddos closely which is my job as a parent anyways.

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by waterboy
What good would a label on the doggy door do? I've never met any toddlers who can read!:D

LOL!!

I lived in Midland when Jessica fell in the well, she and my son were 11 days apart, so that struck real close to home for me.

I learned then that children can fit themselves into ridiculously small places.

[waterboy]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom
LOL!!

I lived in Midland when Jessica fell in the well, she and my son were 11 days apart, so that struck real close to home for me.

I learned then that children can fit themselves into ridiculously small places.
I remember Jessica. We were at a football game in Jefferson when they came over the loudspeaker and said that she had been rescued. Everybody on both sides cheered very loud.

Yes, they can fit in some tight spots. Tighter supervision is the only solution to making sure something like that doesn't happen.......doggy door, well, or anything else for that matter.

[ronwx5x]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom
Does anyone have one??

We are in the process of building a private patio off of our bedroom. I want to install a pet door so my two little dogs can come and go as they please, and not have to worry about the big dogs in the backyard harassing them.

I was listening to Good Morning America this morning and they were talking about the dangers of pet doors....saying they have killed close to 100 toddlers.

Well....that just shot that idea all to hades, because I have grandbabies.

When the report came it on, it wasn't that the door itself killed the kids, it was what happened when they got out....like drowning in the backyard pool!! The family they interviewed, who lost their 2 y/o son in the pool, are suing the manufacturer of the doggy door.

Now.....isn't that the parents responsibility to supervise their children??

They are claiming that because there was no warning on the door, they didn't realize the danger.

IMO, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that if their dog, which wasn't a little dog, can go through it, their child might be able to also!!

I do agree....there should be some type of label that says that small children may be able to come and go like the animals.....but I would think that would be common sense anyway.

IMO, the company didn't do anything worthy of being sued over. I see negligence on the parent/caretaker part first.

I installed a pet door so my cats could come and go. One cat would not use it but the other thought it was great.

My wife thought it was great also until one day I received a call from her at work asking in a very "stern" voice when I would be home. I, being closely attuned to my wife's moods, quickly asked if there was a problem. Her answer in a very agitated tone was, "You need to get this snake out of the living room!" I told her to get a large towel and throw it over the snake. I left for home immediately! The snake was still there, under the towel, and was quickly removed to the woods outside the back yard. We no longer have a pet door.

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by ronwx5x
I installed a pet door so my cats could come and go. One cat would not use it but the other thought it was great.

My wife thought it was great also until one day I received a call from her at work asking in a very "stern" voice when I would be home. I, being closely attuned to my wife's moods, quickly asked if there was a problem. Her answer in a very agitated tone was, "You need to get this snake out of the living room!" I told her to get a large towel and throw it over the snake. I left for home immediately! The snake was still there, under the towel, and was quickly removed to the woods outside the back yard. We no longer have a pet door.

Oh great!! Rattlesnakes love my house!!

[ronwx5x]

Dogs probably wouldn't bring trophies in the house like cats do, but they sure like to track in mud when it rains!:wave:

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by ronwx5x
Dogs probably wouldn't bring trophies in the house like cats do, but they sure like to track in mud when it rains!:wave:

Well...I live in West Texas...don't gotta worry too much about the mud!!:D

[rockdale80]

Maybe we should treat them like certain dog breeds and ban pet doors. It is possible that they can cause injury or death and nobody wants that. Also, what are the statistics on non-fatal accidents involving pet doors? I want answers RM. These doors are dangerous and everyone should go into a panic immediately.

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by rockdale80
Maybe we should treat them like certain dog breeds and ban pet doors. It is possible that they can cause injury or death and nobody wants that. Also, what are the statistics on non-fatal accidents involving pet doors? I want answers RM. These doors are dangerous and everyone should go into a panic immediately.

Well you are going to have to get your answers from somewhere else....I still plan on installing a pet door!!:D

[rockdale80]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom
Well you are going to have to get your answers from somewhere else....I still plan on installing a pet door!!:D


:D :D I am okay with that.

[DaHop72]

I have one for my dog and it has three settings where it can be locked or set to only open either from the inside or set to only open from the outside.

[scrub c]

I would not get one... I would worry that a rogue pit-bull would wonder in and attack me and my family.

[Looking4number8]

As long as I have inside dogs, I will have pet doors. I actually have two. The big dogs are allowed free run in and out of the kitchen and back yard only and they have a door for that. The small dogs have the run of the house (except the kitchen) and I have a doggie door for them that leads to the side yard. I do get the trophy squirrel when they finally catch one but other than that, no animals sneak in because the dogs keep them away from it.

On a side note, the daughters big ole bull mastive can get though the small doggie door to go out and pee. the door is 8"x10" and they have to make a turn and go though another door to get out, but when she needs to pee, she can sure squeeze thru it. I will try to get a picture of it sometime.

[pirate4state]

Originally posted by scrub c
I would not get one... I would worry that a rogue pit-bull would wonder in and attack me and my family. :spitlol: :D

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by scrub c
I would not get one... I would worry that a rogue pit-bull would wonder in and attack me and my family.

They will have to jump a 6' foot metal fence first!!

Then get by my attack cat!!:D

[Looking4number8]

nm

[scrub c]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom

Then get by my attack cat!!:D

Is it an.... angry attack cat???

[bwdlionfan]

Ranger Mom... I just went to Petsmart and I saw something I'd never seen before that they make for cats, if you have a small dog I'm sure it'd work for a dog too. It's a pet door that only opens for YOUR animal. Your animal has to wear a collar that has this magnetic/electric device attached to it. When your animal approaches the door, the door automatically unlocks for your animal. Pretty awesome invention, the one I saw at Petsmart was $99.99. I'm not sure how much a lost collar costs to replace though. Anyway, you may wanna look in to it.

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by bwdlionfan
Ranger Mom... I just went to Petsmart and I saw something I'd never seen before that they make for cats, if you have a small dog I'm sure it'd work for a dog too. It's a pet door that only opens for YOUR animal. Your animal has to wear a collar that has this magnetic/electric device attached to it. When your animal approaches the door, the door automatically unlocks for your animal. Pretty awesome invention, the one I saw at Petsmart was $99.99. I'm not sure how much a lost collar costs to replace though. Anyway, you may wanna look in to it.

When they had the report on GMA yesterday morning, they also talked about the automatic doors.

I have 2 dogs...one is probably 15 lbs or so, the other is closer to 20....and a cat which is probably between 15-20 lbs also.

I kinda wondered if I could get xtra collars myself!!

[bwdlionfan]

It sounds like it's worth looking in to.. Here's a website of a manufacturer of the door... they only charge $12.50 for each additional sensor, but their doors cost a whole lot more than the one I saw at PetSmart.

http://www.solopetdoors.com/prices.htm

[Old Dog]

Friend of mine up on Lake Buchanan installed a pet door for her BIG ole neutered Tom Cat. Well all was going well until she noticed that her cat was loosing weight. Took it to the vet, but the kitty was pronounced fit. A couple of nights later she heard a ruckus in her kitchen (where the cat is fed). She walked in to find her kitty cowering in the corner while a huge opposum was scarfing up the cat's grub. Needless to say she had to cease use of the door for a while.

[bwdlionfan]

Originally posted by Old Dog
Friend of mine up on Lake Buchanan installed a pet door for her BIG ole neutered Tom Cat. Well all was going well until she noticed that her cat was loosing weight. Took it to the vet, but the kitty was pronounced fit. A couple of nights later she heard a ruckus in her kitchen (where the cat is fed). She walked in to find her kitty cowering in the corner while a huge opposum was scarfing up the cat's grub. Needless to say she had to cease use of the door for a while.

Growing up in Brownwood we had two outside cats but they stayed in the garage at night and we kept their food in there. There were many times we found opposums, raccoons, and even skunks in the garage eating their food. Those two big tom cats didn't want anything to do with them either. They'd both just sit back and watch their food get eaten, I can't say I blame em, but anytime another cat would come in there the fight was on.

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by Old Dog
Friend of mine up on Lake Buchanan installed a pet door for her BIG ole neutered Tom Cat. Well all was going well until she noticed that her cat was loosing weight. Took it to the vet, but the kitty was pronounced fit. A couple of nights later she heard a ruckus in her kitchen (where the cat is fed). She walked in to find her kitty cowering in the corner while a huge opposum was scarfing up the cat's grub. Needless to say she had to cease use of the door for a while.

I lived in a house that had a "homemade" pet door several years ago. My neighbor commented on how fat her cat was getting and come to find out, he was sneaking into my garage and eating my cat's canned food. After about 6 months of this, he got hit by a car crossing the street to get his midnight snack.

The moral of this story is:
The food isn't always better on the other side of the street :nerd:

[Sweetwater Red]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom
The moral of this story is:
The food isn't always better on the other side of the street :nerd:


Maybe it was better therefore making it worth the risk.:D