An Excellent Dog Door!

I bought this to replace another expensive dog door that had been in for over 15 years. I had built an addition and put that door in and for 15 years I had a drafty house. Figured, “that’s it, that’s just the way dog doors are,” because I had spent so much money on that door, it had to be a good one, right? Well, it was a good for the first few years, but it always leaked air, even with occasional replacement parts installed. Anyway, after last winter which was a tough one here in Northern NYS, it was obvious the old door wasn’t doing the job, so this winter I bought the RANGER (Formerly Freedom Pet Pass) door off of their website (free shipping that way) and installed it a week ago.

Wow. What a difference. The draft that I ALWAYS had felt was gone, just like that. It has really made a difference in comfort of the house.

I had a contractor install it since it was taller and wider than my old door, but it was an easy job for him.

The only problem with the door was the flap was slightly crooked (very slightly) and I had to trim one edge for it to work freely. I believe it came that way, but since the flap is replaceable, I figure if I wanted to I could have taken it apart to let it hang perfectly. But, hey, it was windy and snowing and I just wanted to start using the door! It wasn’t a big deal, in any case, but it might be something to check on before you install yours just so you can make sure yours hangs correctly, or else be aware that something to do with the installation may have pinched something. I know mine was installed perfectly level, but I don’t know if the contractor may have done something else that would cause this to happen.

It is a noisier door than the old one it replaces, but not enough to be a problem, and you do get used to different sounds in your house. Due to the design of this door, btw, you can tell by the sound whether your dog is going in or going out if you can’t see the door where you are.

As to the dogs, I have two German Shepherds and a Yellow Lab and they all have had access to a dog door their entire lives and go in and out easily dozens of times a day. The year old GSD pup picked it up right away. He was using the new door before the installer even left. The 10 year old GSD was not far behind him, using it without problems in an hour or so. My Yellow Lab was the hold out, taking about three days before she was comfortable using it. She mainly didn’t want to press that hard on the door to get out, since the old door would open easily (and could be seen through, as well). This shows how strong the seal is on the door. BTW, this new door is tall enough for my tallest GSD, if anyone is wondering on door size. Both GSDs of mine had always had to duck their backs to go through the old door. The top of the flap on this door is at 29″ from the floor and it’s a good height for this breed of dog. It’s 3″ taller than the old door and the old door rough opening dictated the bottom height of the door.

For those with small dogs, the instructions tell how to lessen the magnetic hold so it’s easier for them to open the doors. They say that the door will still seal very well, however. If you have a mix of big dogs and small dogs or perhaps a cat, you might have to do it.