Pets and Garage Doors: Keeping Your Animals Safe
Posted on: 10 August 2015
You're eager to improve the look of your home with a new garage door, but you are concerned about your pets. How can you make sure your animals are safe around the door and that they can get access to the garage if needed?
Think Twice about Installing Pet Doors in the Garage
You can install pet doors right into the garage door to give your pet access to the garage. As with any pet door, these need to be fit correctly to the size of your dog or cat so they won't have to struggle to gain entrance.
However, a better choice for your pet is to install a pet door on a pedestrian door to the garage. There is a risk that your pet may try to enter or exit from the pet door while the garage door is being raised, which could cause injury.
Prevent Sleeping on Garage Doors
To cats who enjoy sleeping up high, a raised garage door makes a great platform. The problem comes when the door is suddenly lowered, giving kitty no time to get down. Cats can—and do—get caught in the door, resulting in injury.
Because the garage is also home to your vehicles, which make warm but dangerous sleeping places as well, it may be necessary to keep your cat out of the garage if they insist on curling up in dangerous spots.
You can also try using a squirt bottle filled with water to discourage your cat from sleeping where you don't want them to. Check frequently when the door is up and spray your cat when you find them in the wrong place.
Never Disable Automatic Sensors
Your automated garage door system comes with sensors that can detect if an object, child, or pet is directly underneath the garage door. The sensor will stop the door from lowering if anything is in its path. Because this safety feature is so important to keeping pets safe, it should never be disabled.
You should also check a couple of times a year to ensure that the feature is still working. Roll a garbage can or other wheeled object under the door and then try closing it (from a distance) to make sure that the sensor detects that there's something in the door's path.
Keep Ropes and Pulls Out of the Way
Anything that hangs from your garage door, like a rope or a hook, can catch on your pet's collar and pull them up from the floor, causing injury. Make sure that nothing is hanging off the door at any time.
The steps you take to make sure your garage door is safe for your pets will ensure it is safe for members of your human family, too. Talk to your garage door installer for more tips on improving safety.
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