*This enlightening story was sent from one of our customers. I think a lot of dog door owners can relate to this and doggy door shoppers will learn from this. Enjoy. Thanks for the feedback, we appreciate pet door reviews.

Installing a doggy door sure made life with my dog much better! However, I did not install the right doggy door at first and that cost me some money and caused plenty of frustration! I learned from my mistakes and now want to share some benefits that you should expect from your doggy door and some features to stay away from. I am not an expert, this is just what I have learned from my experiences with doggy doors so here goes.

A great doggy door should create an airtight seal that allows zero air infiltration! Air leakage in your home significantly impacts your energy bill in climates that experience extreme hot and cold weather. Stay clear of any pet doors that are built with metal because metal acts as a conductor to the cold.

The pet flap should be safe for my pet to use and comfortable to pass through. Again, stay clear of a metal doggy door because they tend to be very loud when they close and can harm or scratch your dog.

The pet flap should not be made of plastic! Plastic flaps warp, crack, and fade when exposed to sunlight and or hot and cold weather. Not to mention plastic flaps provide a poor thermal barrier. Dogs that like to scratch will leave groves in the plastic that can house harmful bacteria.

I want the doggy door to look good once installed and actually match my home decor as if it was supposed to be there. Installing a doggy door is like installing a door or window into your home and you probably wouldn't install a cheap, plastic, leaky, low quality window that wasn't finished to match your interior and exterior decor. Installing a doggy door is a big decision because you are cutting a hole into your exterior wall or door so be very selective. I actually installed a pet safe model into my wall a couple years back and it was a nightmare. It looked terrible and leaked air into my home. I live in the Midwest and it gets cold! The dogs chewed the flap once it was warped and I replaced flaps regularly.

I must have spent hundreds on replacement flaps and other pet safe models. One model had 3 flaps and they all leaked! lol Finally I came across a website claiming to have the most energy efficient pet door ever made. They backed up the statement with videos showing its seal and test results from energy star home energy engineers. So I checked it out

2 months later I couldn't be happier with the Freedom Pet Pass doggy door. I bought a door mount doggy door and it has works great! Looks great too. Doesn't leak even on the windy days and has a very unique flexible thermal flap that is scratch proof!

I hope this helps somebody choose a doggy door that works best for them. I hope I'm not alone! Feel a bit foolish for not carefully selecting a quality doggy door with the benefits I really wanted.

*Have you had an experience with your doggy door that you would like to share? Did this story help you to choose a doggy door that is best for you?