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Doggy doors?

Alana

Well-known member
Hello Everyone!

I have a doggy door on my screen door that Bella loves to use. I have been thinking of getting on for the main back door so she can come in and out when we are not there. Does anyone have that set-up? I am mostly worried that if she can access the back yard while we are not home then someone could take her. She likes to potty in the yard and takes herself back inside when she is finished, she doesn't like the portable potty. Maybe I need to get some real grass for it. Advice please?
 
We've been thinking on investing in one for our little guy too. As he is getting older and has great bladder control now.
All we have are sliding glass doors and security screens on those, so we need one that fits between the frame and open door and
will lock. Sounds as though you have one of those.

eBay is really cheap for doogy doors if you have the plain timber door and a handyman that has a jigsaw to fit it.
I wish we had of incorporated a timber door into our house plans when we built our home, it would have been far easier.

Is your yard secure? Years ago, there used to be a black market for purebred dogs, but I think that has really been stamped out
with the introduction of compulsory microchipping. If your at all worried, you can always erect a dog run of sorts, so she can come and
go out the door, but has a private area to play that is secure. But that's a pretty pricey option.
 
We have a gate with a dead lock on it but our backyard backs onto bushy nothingness. I don't want her stuck inside or outside all day when I go back to work (in 5 weeks, today is my first day off whoo).
 
We have a "Dog flap" door in our back door so Leo can go in and out to our garden at his leisure.......we do however lock it at night and when we're out.

I dont think its a good idea to allow them out when you're not home, the risk of him being stolen or hurt is far too high.
 
You might want to reconsider. Thieves and burglars have been known to use doggy doors to access a house without "breaking" in. All it would take is a small child who is told what to look for and where.
 
You might want to reconsider. Thieves and burglars have been known to use doggy doors to access a house without "breaking" in. All it would take is a small child who is told what to look for and where.

Or a small burglar. I housesit for my boss, and occasionally forget my key. I have no trouble fitting through their doggie door. Their son is too big to fit, but his arm is long enough he can reach through and unlock the door if he gets locked out.
 
The other thing to consider is a cavalier -- and especially any puppy -- can be carried off by large birds of prey or taken by wild animals that can jump a wall/fence, such as mountain lions and many coyotes in the US for example..

Compulsory microchipping will do very little to halt dog theft. We have that here too for all IKC bred puppies and makes not an iota of difference. People buy and sell dogs no questions asked, and also steal them for breeding where chips make no difference at all. Also passive breeds like cavaliers are stolen and used for fighting dog bait -- a dreadful ending for a dog. Someone here in Ireland found their pet golden retriever was stolen and killed in this way.

I would never leave a dog with access to the outside when no one is home.
 
The other thing to consider is a cavalier -- and especially any puppy -- can be carried off by large birds of prey or taken by wild animals that can jump a wall/fence, such as mountain lions and many coyotes in the US for example..
.


I'm from Arizona and I know ALOT of people who have had dogs snatched by coyotes, including my parent's Lhaso Apso. Luckily my parents were home, scared the coyote and he dropped their dog, but I know a lot of people who have not been so lucky.:(
 
I live on 5 acres and have created a small grass run off the laundry, where I have a doggy door installed on the security screen and also one in the glass sliding door. My two Cavaliers have free access to this area when I am home and also when I am out. It means I am not constantly up and down opening the door for them and if I am out I don't have to rush home to let them out to the toilet. In Australia we don't have the large predators the biggest threat would be a snake but these could be encountered whilst taking the dogs for a walk etc. I have found the doggy door good for my situation, but everyone is different.
 
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