You probably love your doggy door, if you have one. This is a very easy way for your dogs to let themselves outside whenever they need to be outside.
It’s more convenient for your indoor dog, who will not have to ask to be let outside constantly, and is also more convenient for you. If you leave your dog home alone during the day, you can rest easy knowing they always have access to the outdoors, should they need it.
But can a doggy door actually be just as dangerous for your pet as it is beneficial? Here are some of the reasons you might be wary of doggy doors:
1. They make it easy for someone to abduct your pet.
Those of us who have feisty mutts that are of incredible value to us but very little value to a dog-napper might not ever have to worry about someone stealing our dogs.
There are breeds, however, that have extreme monetary valuable and that some criminals might try to steal in order to sell and make a profit off of. Just about any purebred dog has this type of monetary value. If your dog has access to your yard at any time of day, even when you are not home, this means that someone could potentially jump or open your fence, coax your dog out of your home, and steal them, with very little effort.
2. They are an entry point for burglars.
If you have a large breed that requires a large dog door, you have created a potential entry point for burglars. It is possible for a human to squeeze through one of these doors, especially if your door is large enough for a husky or German shepherd to get through. You can prevent this issue by closing the door while you are not home or when your dog is not using it.
3. They are entry point for other animals.
Never underestimate the lengths a raccoon will go to in order to get inside your home and grab a few handfuls of your dog’s food!
If your dog can get in and out of that door, another animal can get in and out of that door, too. This might be another dog, a cat, or a far less friendly animal like a raccoon. Some people have even reported deer, baby bears, and alligators getting in through dog doors. This is, of course, very rare and not something most dog owners have to worry about.
4. Dog doors can give your dog unlimited access to unsupervised yard time.
Unless you trust your dog completely not to climb your fence or tunnel his way under, your dog should not be allowed to have unsupervised yard time. You do not know what kind of trouble your dog can get into when he is allowed to hang out in the yard alone.
Even if you do trust your dog, you cannot trust neighborhood kids, criminals, and other animals that might get into your yard. This is always a consideration to be made when thinking about installing a dog door or teaching your dog to use one.
5. They are an exit point for your small children.
If your child is currently dog-sized, you might want to keep an extra eye on them when your dog door is open. Older toddlers can easily learn from your dog how to get in and out of a dog door and might escape into your backyard, unsupervised, which is never a good thing.
