Our collective response to quarantining is a good jumping-off point in beginning this week’s home and garden column. Anecdotally, with a lot more time at home, people have turned to having more pets in their lives, gardening and home improvement.
For those who wanted more life in their homes and for the pets already there, installing pet doors provides you and your pets with more freedom. They can come and go and you don’t have to jump whenever they want out or to another room.
In general, I envision fenced-in yards for dogs and pet doors to other rooms where you might keep the litter box, for example. Two places I have lived already had indoor pet doors installed for keeping heat in and litter box aroma out.
Pet doors are relatively simple to install and always come with full instructions.
“The idea with most of them is they are very user friendly. If you are even a little handy and have a good eye, it’s an easy installation for most home owners,” said Susan Koch, owner of Animal Crackers in Greenfield. Pet doors can not only be installed indoors, but windows (no installation), sliding glass doors, and even through the exterior of your house.
Placing a door through a wall is usually a bit more challenging and you might need to match siding to the cut area. There are also models for screen doors and others with pet doors already built in (not cheap).
Concerns with having pet doors that lead to the outside include critters coming in that aren’t your pet, as well as home security if you have a large dog. I tend to believe if you have a dog that big, you probably are going to have less security problems anyway, but technology can take care of residual worries.
Pets can have a collar with a chip in it which allows only them to open the door. There are also models you can simply lock when you want. Included in this idea is small children also getting out via the pet door when it’s a larger size. Other issues may be your pet bringing in “treats” for you (read: dead animals) and you will want to have some type of mat down to keep tracked-in dirt to a minimum. If you are concerned about drafts there are models now that nearly eliminate that problem.
You can purchase pet doors at most pet retail establishments, but if you don’t want to go out shopping right now, there are multiple online resources. A few examples are Chewy.com, Tractor Supply, Pet Smart and of course, Amazon. You can expect to spend anywhere from $50 to $500. If you don’t feel you are handy enough to do the installation, hiring someone to install for you would add roughly the same scale to the price tag.
Once you have thought through where you want to have a pet door, the next step is to measure your pet. That is how you will know which size model to buy. If you have a puppy or kitten, keep in mind they are going to grow.
First, write these measurements down. A sewing tape measure is the easiest way to take these measurements.
■Distance from the floor to the top of your pet’s shoulder blades.
■The distance from the floor to the top of the elbow of your pet’s front paw. This is referred to as the “rise” or stepping distance your pet needs to easily clear to get through a door.
■ Subtract the rise from the first number. This is the minimum height you need when purchasing a pet door.
■Next, measure your pet’s width at their widest point. When you are shopping, these are the two measurements you need to purchase the correct size.
■If you have more than one pet you will need to measure them all. Use the shoulder measurement and width of the largest pet and the rise of the smallest pet to find your best size.
Tools you would need would be a measuring tape, drill, jigsaw, and screwdriver at a minimum. Instructions always include a paper template. You may want to be aware if installing a pet door voids any warranty you might have.
Once you have your pet door installed, you may have to work a bit to convince your pet to use it. I have never had this problem, as when there has been food or a litter box on the other side, that’s all it took. But every pet is different.
You may have to help your pet get used to the idea of using the door, especially if they are older or timid. Treats on the other side are usually the best encouragement.
If there are two of you involved in helping the pet get used to the idea, even better.
Once they go through, someone on the other side can be there with praise, cuddles and treats.
Do not try to force an animal through a pet door, they will only become more resistant and frightened. Often, you can just show them and let them figure it out when you aren’t around if they are nervous.
If you’d like to reach me, you can write to cstormfox57@gmail.com.