PetSafe Freedom Aluminium Dog and Cat Door

PetSafe Freedom Aluminium Dog and Cat Door

The PetSafe Freedom Aluminum Dog and Cat Door is a durable containment system designed to keep the elements out of your home, while allowing the animals you love to come and go as they desire.

Why Is This Product Desirable?

Important Features:

This pet portal has a sturdy, high-quality aluminum structure.  The gate is waterproof, avoiding mold and the compromise of material integrity.  It features double vinyl flaps, to maximize the ease of use for your pet while minimizing the elements’ infiltration of your home.  These durable coverings fasten at the bottom magnetically to avoid flapping, while still allowing your pet to enter and exit easily.  Should you wish to close the pet door to limit your pet’s coming and going, there is a sliding panel included with the PetSafe Freedom Door, which allows you to completely secure your home at night or when at work.  This product comes in sizes Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large to accommodate a wide range of dog and cat breeds. The Freedom pet door also includes a versatile installation process, with customizable screws to fit doors of all thicknesses.

Specifications to Consider:

Benefits of the PetSafe Freedom Door:

Owning a quality pet door is a crucial part of taking care of house pets.  You want to give your pets the best life possible, and for many of us, the best way to ensure that they have access to the yard whenever they need it is found in the form of a pet door.  With the PetSafe Freedom Door, you can give your furry friend just that: freedom.  No longer will Fluffy have to whine at the door whenever she needs to use the restroom; this product gives her license to go out as she sees fit.  “In that case,” drawl the naysayers, “I may as well just leave the door open.”  But that’s the beauty of the pet door.  The PetSafe Freedom Door allows Fluffy the liberty of entering and exiting the house at her pleasure, while denying entry to bugs, precipitation, etc.

“But at what cost? Is this going to be another complicated project for me to procrastinate?” you ask.  Fortunately, the PetSafe Freedom Door was designed to have a fairly easy installation process, requiring nothing more than average construction skills and a few commonly found tools. This product was designed with user-friendliness in mind, while still offering optimal quality and sturdiness.

Warranty:

Must Know Facts:

While the PetSafe Freedom Door is designed with a fairly straight-forward installation process, some tools and basic know-how are necessary, including

• tape measure
• drill
• screwdriver
• jigsaw for cutting the opening in door
• pencil and tape to mark correct placement of the pet door

All of these should be available at your local hardware store.  PetSafe also offers instructional videos and instructional print-outs to demonstrate correct installation of the PetSafe Freedom Door online.

Another crucial factor to consider is that this gate, being a flap gate, may take your pet some getting used to.  Many pets will get the hang of it immediately, whereas others, especially the more timid dogs and cats, may take some coaxing.  PetSafe recommends that you use treats to entice your pet through the door the first few times, until they become accustomed to the flaps.  This will help them to associate positive memories with the gate, which can help immensely with anxiety or fearfulness.  For more resources on dog training, see The Loved Dog by Tamar Geller or The Puppy Primer by Patricia B. McConnell and Brenda Scidmore.  These books offer valuable insight on dog training in general, and are a great resource if your furry friends struggle with anxiety or behavioral problems.

Pros to Going with the PetSafe Freedom Door:

• This product offers a sturdy, quality frame with heavy magnetic flaps.
• This product reduces the amount of draftiness/rain/snow that might otherwise infiltrate your home through a lower-quality gate
• This is not an overly techie gate; offers a simple, classic doggy door design while still providing optimal protection.
• This product can be customized to fit doors of varying thicknesses, anywhere between 3/8” to 2”.
• This gate comes in four different sizes – just choose the one that fits your pet best and go!
• This product is fairly cheap for a quality pet door, especially in the smaller sizes!

Cons to Going with the PetSafe Freedom Door:

• This product may take more timid pets some getting used to.
• This product may potentially allow some rain, breeze, etc. in to your home.
• Some basic handyman skills are required, such as basic measuring and drilling know-how, along with knowledge of how to use a jigsaw.
• This product’s screws, while adjustable, may be not as strong as desired.  This can be easily remedied with screws from your local hardware store.

Things to Watch Out For with the PetSafe Freedom Door:

Some buyers have expressed concern about the hardware, as the screws included are made of a sliceable plastic polymer to allow adjustability to various door thicknesses.  This may cause the pet portal to become loose, or in extreme cases pop off of the door.  If this is a concern for you, we recommend purchasing normal 8/32 screws to use in place of the included screws.

Some also mentioned that the magnets at the bottom of the flaps did not satisfactorily eliminate flapping.  Several clients solved this by purchasing an additional flap to go on the outside, and they were very happy with the result. This might require some construction skills, but it ought to do the trick and eliminate any extra flapping that may occur.

Some buyers also expressed concern that the replacement parts cost too much, for example the X-Large replacement flap.  This could be very problematic, especially if you have a puppy who likes to chew things such as vinyl flaps. (Honestly, who wouldn’t want to chew on a vinyl flap?)

Several reviewers also noted that this gate was not of the same quality as when they purchased the same model several years ago.  The main complaint was that the quality of the flap had declined, with a cheaper kind of vinyl.  While this may be the case, it can again be solved by adjusting the magnets or by attaching an extra flap to the outside.

Crucial Tips:

• Step one: read the installation instructions thoroughly before attempting the install.
• Basic carpentry skills and tools are required.  Installation should only be performed by an adult who is following the enclosed instructions.
• PetSafe has included all needed hardware, but the screws they include are vinyl.  If you have a large rambunctious dog, you made need to upgrade to a metal screw.  The plastic screws may not hold up in extreme temperatures (especially extreme cold) and cause the unit to prematurely fail.  Consider upgrading to a metal screw BEFORE you begin the install process.  If you choose to not change out the screws, be sure to not over-tighten them during installation.
• You know the saying, “measure twice, cut once”.  Well, that’s going to be an important step not only before ordering to be sure that your door is within the range of acceptable thicknesses, but also before cutting a hole in your door to accommodate the PetSafe Freedom Aluminum Dog and Cat Door.  PetSafe has you covered here though.  They have included a helpful cutting template that will ensure that you are cutting the correct size hole in your door.  Be sure to follow the template exactly.  If you cut the opening too small, this unit will not fit in your door.
• The PetSafe Freedom Aluminum Dog and Cat Door can be used on interior and exterior doors.
• The PetSafe Freedom Aluminum Door can be used on doors made of many different materials, but should not be installed on a glass door.  Wood, metal, fiberglass, etc. are all acceptable materials.
• This aluminum framed PetSafe door is the more durable option compared with other plastic framed models on the market.
• The door flap, being made of a softer, easy-to-clean material, is great if you have more than one animal heading in/out the door at a time.  The second animal going through the door won’t be knocked on the head by a heavy flap.  If you need to replace the door flap, the replacement flap part number is printed right on the door itself for easy re-ordering.

Summary:

Possible Alternatives to the PetSafe Freedom Door:

If you and your pets decide this is not the pet door for your household, we get it – to each their own.  Here are several things for you to consider when choosing your pet gate:

There are myriads of dog door options on the market, but only the PetSafe armada gives you the perfect solution for you and your beloved. Choosing the system that is the best fit for both of you requires careful consideration of your individual sizing and accessibility needs. Thankfully, PetSafe has grown to become a trusted provider of top shelf, durable doors, regardless of your situation. Key elements to consider when making a selection are the following:

Door type: PetSafe’s expansive line of products allows one to create an entry point in not just a standard solid door, but also, sliding glass doors, screen doors, and even spaces without existing doors.

Security level: A sturdy high-grade durable frame Dog and Cat door is more than sufficient in many instances, especially where a fenced area is presented in the egress. However, where uninvited guests may take the opportunity to crash your party, some of PetSafe’s high tech solutions such as the Collar Activated microchip RFID lets your furry family members in while keeping the riffraff out. So whether you live in Mayberry and leave your doors unlocked at night, or you’d like to make sure the random raccoon or galosh doesn’t drop in, PetSafe has you covered.

Quality of Construction:  Choosing a solution from a company accustomed to delivering high quality, high tech solutions as their every day labor of love gives you the assurance of receiving a product from a company that stands behind their product for the long haul. By choosing materials of construction with a higher starting cost point pays dividends in the long run. Aluminum is a historically an ivy league material for many applications due to its long and distinguished Curriculum vitae. Not to mention its weight to strength ratio, corrosion resistance, and ductility is merely scratching the durable surface of aluminum. Did you know aluminum is odorless? You won’t have to worry about it rotting like some fiber-based materials are susceptible to.

Sizing: Your pet is one of a kind and so it’s expected that there is not a one size fits all approach taken with the PetSafe development team. Not only are the PetSafe doors available in a wide range of sizes, but the installation processed is designed around your pet as well. Follow the incredibly helpful demo videos which show you exactly how to measure your pet and establish the ideal height for your door.

Versatility: Providing multiple modes of operation can be crucial when dealing with the chaos that life throws your way. Much of the time you may want to provide free access through your Dog or Cat door, but we all know there are times when boundaries need to be kept for a time. Choosing a solution that puts you in control without adding unnecessary complexity gets to the heart of what PetSafe hopes to deliver to your home.

Price Point: Whether you just moved into your first digs, or finally arrived in your dream home, PetSafe has the greatest value solution for you. We believe every pet and owner deserve the best, and we strive to deliver that with every product we ship.

To Conclude: