TulsaPets Magazine March 2023

March /April 2023 • TulsaPets 35 Don’t I Know You? Electronic Doggy Doors Focus on the Face by Karen Dugan Holman, B.S., B.S.E., M.S. S everal years ago, my son and a friend were talking and laughing on speakerphone. His friend asked to borrow some waders to go duck hunting. Matt was not at his home; he was at our house. He laughed and said, “Don’t worry about coming out here to get the key at my mom’s. Just go through my backyard gate and crawl through the doggy door.” I froze in dismay, and my mind raced. If something larger than Matt’s Husky-Shep- herd mix could fit through the doggy door, what was keeping unknown humans from crawling in and taking what they want or just making themselves right at home? What good is an alarm system on all your doors and windows if a jumbo-sized doggy door is ready and waiting to be entered? Moms worry and then take action. By the next day, there was a padlock on Matt’s gate and a firm warning about locking that doggy door. Not too long after that, Matt left his gate unlocked after doing yard work. He later entered his home to the smell of a cigarette and found that the left- over steak from his refrigerator had been eaten. An empty plate was in the sink. Nothing was missing that he noticed, but he became a believer in locking that doggy door and gate. I hated to say, “I told you so,” but of course, I gave him a reminder of the wisdom I had shared with him. Screen Out Uninvited Visitors According to the Humane Society of the United States, a plethora of uninvited guests might enter through your dog- gy door — stray cats, foxes, opossums, raccoons, and dogs that are not your own. That can be dangerous for several reasons, one being unvaccinated dogs and disease-carrying animals. Those animals also can be fearful and can bite to defend themselves or chase your pets as if they were prey. I have heard sweet stories in which a neighbor’s dog jumped the fence, entered the doggy door, and played with his best dog friends while the owners were at work. He quickly exited through the doggy door when he heard the garage door go up as the owners returned to the scene of the crime. He was caught when they recog- nized his color of fur on their new white couch. That seems an innovative way to spend time with dog friends, much like sneaking out of the house as a teenager. But what if the dogs coming in the doggy door are not friendly and pose a threat to your pets?