by Anthony Megna

Created on: October 16, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Up and down and back and forth to let the dog out, it was really getting ridiculous. Before we installed a doggy door, I felt like a damn jack-in-the-box! My wife and I couldn't watch a television program without being interrupted constantly. We had to do something.

I was watching a TV commercial, I think it was for dog food or something, and the ease which the dog in the commercial let himself in and out of the house was like watching a dream come true. Why didn't I think of a dog-door sooner? We had to get one, and fast. So we went to our local Pet Smart. They sell everything for pets there, and we noticed they were having a sale on doggy doors, so we checked it out.

What's important here is to realize first what kind of set-up you have in your house. For us, we have a large sliding glass window, maybe six to eight feet long, that lets out onto the porch. Since we live on the second floor of our condominium complex, our dog wouldn't be allowed to wander around the yard, but like all dogs, he likes to go out in the fresh air and sniff and take sun baths. I was figuring on some complex work for the installation of the doggy door, but I was surprised how easy it was to install!

They sell the doggy doors in different heights, and ours is about six feet tall. Basically, it is a strip of glass with an automatic opening at the bottom comprised of a heavy duty plastic with magnets at the base. This allows our dog to push himself through the rubber/plastic material, and the door swings back in place and is held together with the magnets at the bottom, so it doesn't flap around with the slightest breeze. It's a great invention.

To install, just push your sliding glass over to the right all the way, lift up the doggy door and place in the tracks that exist on the top and bottom of your slider. That's it! It's so simple. To make a flush closure, the doggy door has weather stripping attached so that your sliding glass rests right next to it, nice and firm. No matter what the weather, we don't get any leakage or breeze from the doggy door, as a nice firm closure results when installed properly.

In summary, this is the best thing we could have ever installed. I think we paid a bit over a hundred bucks for it, and it's well worth it. Now our dog can come and go as he pleases without bothering us a lick, and we finally can watch a TV show from beginning to end. Well, I should qualify that statement, as we have to figure out how to stop being interrupted by phone telemarketers.....

Learn more about this author, Anthony Megna.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.