[Dailydrool] Doggie door

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

We bought our Elsinore a Plexidoor Premium Pet Door from Moore Pet  
Supply (www.moorepets.com, http://www.moorepet.com/Plexidor-Premium- 
Pet-Doors-s/48.htm) about five years ago. We went with a large wall- 
mounted door, which wasn't nearly this expensive when we bought it.  
Goodness but the costs have gone up! Elsinore is 50 pounds, and young  
Charlie is 42. Both go through the door easily. I think if they were  
ten pounds heavier, though, I'd go with the extra-large for its width.

We had to have a handyman install it for us because neither Ken nor I  
know what we're doing when it comes to stuff like this. Then that led  
to removing a couple of false walls in the back entry where the dog  
door is, putting up new drywall, repainting everything (including the  
textured ceiling), and replacing the floor covering. One simple dog  
door became an entire room remodel, which made that door even more  
expensive.

But it'd needed doing, and we've all been very happy with the  
results. Elsinore is thrilled to have a door she can go in and out of  
whenever she wants. She's a dog who feels a need to patrol the  
backyard at regular intervals throughout the day, and I feel a need  
not to be popping up and down every half hour to accommodate her need.

Because the dog door opens out onto the back deck in full view of the  
alley, which is a major pedestrian thoroughfare in our inner city  
neighborhood, we asked the handyman to return to build a fake dog  
house in front of the door. The dogs now have to enter the dog house  
and make a sharp ninety-degree turn to the left in order to get into  
the house. It's not a problem for them, but their longer-legged  
friends have some difficulty with it. If we had a golden retriever,  
for example, we'd have to reconfigure the dog house entrance a bit.

However, as it is right now, the fake dog house not only makes it  
impossible for anyone to enter the house through the dog door (or  
kick the dog door in), but it also acts as a draft barrier on windy,  
winter days. The wind can't come whistling in through the dog door  
because the dog house blocks it. The door itself seals pretty well.  
The door comes with a sort of flimsy lock and a metal cover you can  
screw over the opening on the inside.

The dogs took a while to get used to the saloon-style doors on this  
particular model. In the beginning, they really didn't like the feel  
of the doors closing in on their bodies, and especially their tails,  
when they went through it. But after about three days of coaxing and  
encouraging and rewarding with treats, they adjusted. I don't think  
they even notice the feel now.

I'll be happy to send photos of Elsinore's door and the fake dog  
house to anyone who'd like them.

Elizabeth