A Patio Pet Door Can Be An Owner’s Salvation
We have all been there before. The dog or cat wants out, then in, then out again. You are constantly running to the door to let your furry companion in or out, without much time in between. There is no way you can get your work done when you spend all of your time running to the door at their whim. There is a simple solution, a patio pet door.
The pet door allows your dog or cat to run in and out to their heart’s content. This is perfect for owners who have long work days or have medical conditions that limit their ability to move. For those that have a rambunctious cat that likes to prowl, or enthusiastic dog that needs to be able to run outside at a moments notice. One of these access points can immediately fix the problem of having adequate shelter for your animal during when you leave them outside.
Patio Pet Door
An elderly pet that requires many trips outdoors can become a difficult burden to deal with. Being aware of their old joints it is not easy to leave them in a cold garage, or lock them into a kennel all day. Your options become limited when you are trying to prevent damage to your house carpet or doors. By placing a patio pet door in your home it easily solves a wide range of problems.
Older dogs have the ability to go in and out as they need to. This prevents damage to your flooring and it keeps your pet healthier and happier as well. You may even find that your furniture and door frames do not take as much of a beating since the beloved pooch is able to go outside at their leisure without waiting or trying to get someone’s attention. Your older dog will enjoy being able to get up and walk about at their leisure rather than getting painful joints from force inactivity.
This is also an excellent choice for those that have long work schedules, or work two jobs. The doorway allows your pet to go in and out without the possibility of having an accident indoors, and limits the chances of developing other medical conditions, like urinary tract infections. Some medications that animals are placed on forces them to require more frequent visits outside, or they develop the occasional gastrointestinal upset are given the opportunity to go in and out as they need to.
Everyone is well aware that exercise is a key to keeping your pet happy. If you have a pet that is young, a more active breed, or perhaps you have more than one dog and you would love to be able to give them the ability to stay outside in a fenced yard for more running and playing room. A limiting factor is that nature does not always play fair and the weather man is not nearly as accurate as you would like. Your concerns include that your pet will be stuck outside in a sudden storm, or there may be an unexpected drop in temperature, or you get stuck and are not able to immediately come home as planned to avoid the changing weather. A patio pet door gives them the ability to stay safe, warm and dry, or cool off from excessive heat.
Felines are also notorious for wanting to go in and out of the house. If you have a cat that you allow outdoors, this prevents you from losing sleep when your cat cannot make up its mind if it wants to prowl or not. It also gives your friendly feline the choice of when it wants to participate in outdoor activities. Concerns over what your cat is getting into overnight, such as if the cat is able to find shelter from rain, hail, snow, winds, or a predatory animal can be lessened.
There are many different forms of patio pet doors available to the owner. The size is dependent upon the animal since it should be able to easily go through the opening. The placement of this opening also has a few choices to compliment the needs of the pet and owner. Owners that are concerned with safety also have the ability to purchase access points that have a locking mechanism, to lock an animal in or out.
These openings all have the same basic principle. They are a square hole with a cover that the animal is then able to go in and out of. From there is becomes more selective.
Doors now have electronic collars which the pet wears. Like a garage door opener, it signals the cover to open when the animal approaches. The down side is that you do have to remember to replace the batteries or it will not work.
There is the standard opening with a flexible flap over it. This flap is pushed by the animal to exit or gain entrance to the house. The material used for this varies in type from a clear plastic to a dark, heavy plastic. They can be made by cutting a permanent opening into to a wall, garage door, or solid wood door. These openings are typically placed next to the back door. The construction of this type of portal is far more more expensive. An experienced carpenter should be contracted to perform this type of work to maintain the integrity of the structure.
These portals can also be purchased in a pre made glass panel. This panel is then fitted and anchored to the existing sliding glass door frame with a minimal effort. This added portion is placed into the opening closest to the wall, still allowing movement of the sliding glass. It is a popular quick fix to the pet access problem.
A solid door can also be cut into to create a pet access point. Some cat owners have placed small openings into windows, rather than opt for the back door. The placement of an pet portal is a personal choice, and you will need to decide what works best for you and your pet.
Another advantage of using a patio pet door is that many people are looking for ways to cut down on their heating bill in winter and if you have a pet you know that a well constructed pet door will do the trick. A patio pet door can be easy to install if you have taken your measurement first. So always make sure you know exactly what your measurements are and have read all of the directions before you begin to install a new pet door for your patio.
Once installed you will no longer have to open the front or back door and let huge amounts of heat escape. Your dog will be able to access the outside with his own door and you will be grateful when your heating bill comes in the mail. You will also want to look for a pet door that has a draft stopping seal so that air leaks between the moving windows will be stopped. This should be a key feature that you look for when deciding on a pet door.
