First the experiences THE GOOD, BAD AND MESSY

 THERE ARE SOME SOLID REASONS TO HAVE A DOGGIE DOOR. HERE IS ONE.

"This product saves having to get up and down all the time when the weather is nice for letting the girls outside, especially since I've had 3 failed back surgeries and up down is not always comfortable for me so it saves us all in ease of use! Thank you again!"

BUT THERE ARE SOME AWFUL REASONS WHY NOT TO INSTALL A DOGGIE DOOR.

"We had left the house for a family outing. While gone one of our Bostons figured out how to slide the dog door, open enough to get out. Our other Boston went out behind her, and must have caused the door to fall back down. They were trapped outside in the heat. One of them died in my arms and we fought to get the other one cooled off, but she did not make it. The only reason the door was down was so the old man could not get out when nobody was home. I tried to keep him from doing just what he did. He being the smart Boston he always a troublemaker. Our hearts are broken.."
"I use to have a large doggy door when I lived in San Diego. The neighborhood kids could get in that one and I had some stuff stolen. They all knew my dogs, so it was very easy for them to get in. Do I have a doggy door now--NO. I would get the neighborhood cat coming in too, which I didn't care, he was a sweet cat and my dogs didn't bother him. "

"The thing is even with an alarm system, if someone was to break into our house, they are going to get in if you have the alarm on or not. I am sure they have all figured out how to get in. Some kids crawled into my mom's house thru a doggy door big enough for a sheltie. So it wasn't all that big. They didn't steal anything, but they played on the computer and watched TV, very weird. They had to scale a big block wall. She moved here and does she have a doggy door-NO. "
"I rather go outside with my dogs. This way I can monitor them. You would hate to think if someone got into your backyard and stole your little Yorkie."
"That depends. We had a doggie door that was huge, and we might as well have left the door open. If I forgot my keys, I would just crawl through the door. There are certain dog doors that you can purchase that only open when the dog is in front of it. It has a "remote" that you can attach to their collars. This also keeps other small animals, such as raccoons, out of your house."
" If you had a doggy door around here you would also have a house full of raccoons, field mice, possibly a fox or two and maybe even a coyote. Oh and I forgot the skunks, how could I forget the skunks."

MOST OF THE COMMENTS FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THAT I HAVE SEEN ARE BASED ON THE ORIGINAL "STANDARD DOG DOOR"

"The standard dog door does not provide any safety for your home. It will allow anyone to enter your home with a small window to access. "
"I'd be afraid of someone using it to break into my home. Bent coat hangers and other crook type equipment can work wonders on inside door locks."
"My aunt once had a coon come in, some snakes, frogs. After she got rid of the cat door no more problem."
" My parents have always had cat/dog doors. In their current house, they have had several bouts with raccoons. Our last dog was blamed for eating all the food until we caught the raccoon in the act. The raccoons in our area aren't afraid of dogs or people either. Another time, a raccoon apparently came in through the second dog/cat door (we had one to the outside and one to the garage) and attacked my brother's rabbit (which did survive the incident). When they move, my parent's probably won't put another dog/cat door in their new house. In the meantime, they have to close up the outer one every night to keep our critters in and the raccoons out."
" It depends on the dog, and where you live. For instance, I have toy breeds, which could easily be carried off by "birds of prey". There's also coyotes to worry about, as well as escape and theft. I don't feel comfortable with mine, unattended, and outside."
" I personally would never get one simply because, I don't allow my dogs to be outside unattended. especially when I'm not home, even with the fencing. Too many unknowns, and I just won't take the chance that something could happen."

THERE ARE AS MANY REASONS NOT TO HAVE ONE BUT THERE ARE SOME IMPROVEMENTS THAT MAKE IT  SOMETHING TO CONSIDER... If you are in a wheel chair, walker,or bed ridden I can see where this would almost be a necessity. Like all things there are some improvements to the  dog doors of today that you should be aware of..

 
THE FIX
1. You can now Install a motion detector above the door where the doggie door is installed. You can purchase a sensor that buzzes or makes a sound every time something comes near the door, or one that flashes a special light. In both instances, the alert will keep you conscious of your dog's comings and goings, and also warn you of any threats entering the house.
2. When your pet can let himself out, you don’t have to worry about getting home in time to let him out. And say goodbye to waking up in the middle of the night to your pet whining and begging to go out!
3. No more scratching and whining at the door.
4. Giving your dog access to the yard reduces accidents and helps prevent long-term health problems, such as bladder infections and UTIs, from “holding it” for too long.
5. Clean up fewer “accidents”
6. Lock your non-electronic doggie door at night and when you are away with a deadbolt lock. Purchase a doggie door kit that comes with a sliding plate that can be locked into place with a deadbolt lock once it has been lowered over the door frame.
7. The new generation of doors have lots of electronics like programmable locking, pet tracking, opens only for pets with identification tags, back up power, some have audible alert signals, Wireless connection for remote programming from a computer or Smartphone.
 

NOTE FROM BTN:  Now I think nothing beats being outside in the yard when your dogs are outside.  I have never let the dogs outside without human supervision.  We have had coyotes roaming in the fields behind us.  We have also had a case of a neighbor's dog jumping into yards and killing small dogs.  So for that reason alone I would never let a dog outside without me right there.

So what do you think? We would enjoy reading your comments on this subject.