Learning by Aidras
Dogs and other pets often become a part of the family. But every pet requires special treatment and needs to have its own little privileges and responsibilities. For a dog, one of those privileges is a flap door, also known as a doggy door.
While your dog can be a boon to the security of your house and yard, a flap door can pose a security threat. And while a bigger dog usually poses more of a threat to an uninvited guest of any sort, he or she needs a bigger flap door, which in turn decreases the safety of your house when the dog and the master are not around. As always, much depends on your neighbourhood, but let's not take any chances.
Too big of an opening can even make it possible for kids and smaller adults to sneak into your house through an otherwise locked door and loot your place for valuables. But even a small flap door is usually enough to let raccoons and other animal thieves who, cute as they are, can turn your home upside down while you're out.
If you own a security system that monitors your premises, you will have to make sure that your dog won't set off an alarm by activating your motion sensors. This usually means turning the sensors off, which is more of a workaround than a solution. The undesired side effect is the decreased overall security of your home.
A much more secure approach is to install a lockable flap door for your pets. This way, you can seal off your home completely when you leave, and you can also make full use of your in-house security.
At this point, however, you have to decide whether to leave your animal friend inside or outside. If locked inside, your pet may be stressed or unable to contain her- or himself. Staying outside, on the other hand, is arguably healthier in most regions, but it's probably a little cruel during our frosty Canadian winters — not to mention if your dog or cat likes to roam the streets on its own.
If you or your pets like state-of-the-art technology, maybe you can install a special microchip-operated flap door that only opens for pets that it recognizes. Who knew such a thing even existed!?
What are your favourite time-tested ways of managing your home security with a pet? Please let us know in the comments!
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