Pet Doors Can Provide Opening For Unwanted Guests
Posted July 18, 2001 4:10 a.m. EDT
FAYETTEVILLE — Pet doors are an easy way for your dogs and cats to get in or out, but they can also be an opening for unwanted visitors.
Mina Miller knows that firsthand. A racoon went through her pet door over the weekend and came right up to her bed. She woke up when she was scratched.
At first, she thought it might be her 13-year-old dog, but quickly found out it was a wild animal.
"He was determined to get on the bed, and I was determined he wasn't going to get on, so I knocked him down with a pillow," she says.
The raccoon scratched Miller on the foot, but she managed to lock it in the bedroom. The raccoon then clawed the grate off the air conditioning vent and climbed in. It was caught by animal control and tested positive for rabies. Miller is now undergoing treatment.
With the chance of a wild animal, a neighbor's pet or a burglar getting in, the pet doors are going high-tech.
Electric pet doors enable your pet to come and go while preventing unwanted animal friends from entering your home. It works by attaching a transmitter to your dog's or cat's collar. When it gets close, the transmitter sends a signal, opening the pet door like a garage door.
They are now available
online
and at some pet stores. They range in price from $80 to $300.
