Locksmith services are always 10% OFF for ALL SENIORS.
Locksmith services are always 10% OFF for ALL SENIORS.
GTA Lockman Mobile Locksmith Services · Toronto & GTA
Fit a pet door without undoing the lock, the door panel or the frame, and know which doors suit one.
Related services
Repair handles, closers and latches on storm doors, and stop them interfering with the main entrance lock.
Learn moreRestore reliable locking on the doors people use most, and strengthen the frames that are easiest to force.
Learn moreUnderstand what a double-cylinder deadbolt does, the fire-safety concern, and alternatives for doors with glass.
Learn moreUnderstand what a privacy lock does, how to release one from outside, and when a room needs a keyed lock.
Learn moreRepairs, rekeying and replacement hardware for homes, condos and apartments, with attention to the whole door.
Learn moreFind the reason a key sticks, a bolt binds or a latch fails before deciding what needs replacement.
Learn more
A pet door solves a daily problem: the dog needs the yard, the cat wants out at night, and nobody wants to be the doorman. It also creates an opening in a door or wall that was previously solid, and that opening sits below the lock, usually out of sight from the street.
This page is not an argument against pet doors. Most households that fit one are glad they did. It is about fitting one in a way that does not undo the rest of the door, and about the questions worth asking before cutting into a door you rely on.
Three things matter. First, the size of the opening: a flap large enough for a big dog can be large enough for a person, particularly on a basement or side door where nobody is watching. Second, the reach: if the opening is close to the inside thumbturn, a hand or a simple tool can reach it. Third, the door itself: cutting a large hole in a door removes material and can weaken the panel, especially on hollow or lightweight doors.
None of these is a reason to avoid a pet door. They are reasons to think about placement, size and what the door still needs to do.
The safest pet doors are the ones that are not in an exterior door at all. A wall-mounted unit, a panel fitted into a patio door track, or an insert in a sliding screen keeps the main door solid. Wall units cost more and need proper flashing and insulation, but they leave the lock, the frame and the door panel intact.
If the pet door goes into an exterior door, keep it as far from the lock as the door allows, usually low and centred. Think about what is on the other side: a flap that opens into an unfenced front yard, a driveway or a lane is a different proposition from one opening into a fenced back garden.
Avoid fitting a pet door in a glazed panel, a fire-rated door or a door that forms part of the separation between an attached garage and the house; see garage-to-house door locks.
Solid wood and solid-core doors handle a pet door well. Steel and fibreglass insulated doors can usually be cut, but the manufacturer's instructions matter, and a poorly sealed cut lets moisture into the core. Hollow-core doors are not suitable for exterior use at all, and cutting one weakens it further.
Check whether cutting the door affects its warranty. Many door manufacturers void warranties on a modified slab, which is another argument for a wall or patio-panel installation.
If the door is already sagging, binding or has a split frame, address that first. The pages on side and back door lock repair and door latch and strike plate repair cover the usual repairs.
Whatever the pet door arrangement, the main door still has to do its job: a deadbolt that throws fully into a reinforced strike, hinges that hold the door square, and a latch that catches on its own. A household that fits a pet door and stops checking the deadbolt has moved backwards.
If the pet opening is within reach of the inside thumbturn, options include relocating the pet door, fitting a thumbturn that can be removed or locked when the house is empty, or, where permitted and appropriate, a double-cylinder deadbolt. That last option carries a real fire-safety trade-off, explained on the page about double-cylinder deadbolts.
Photos
Photographs from GTA Lockman Mobile Locksmith Services work across Toronto and the GTA. Send a picture of your own door and we can tell you what the visit would involve.
Most pet doors come with a slide-in locking panel. It is worth using when the household is away for a long period or overnight, and it takes seconds. Keep the panel somewhere obvious, because a cover left in the garage never gets used.
Electronic flaps that open only for a collar tag or a microchip are now common. They keep out neighbourhood animals and reduce the chance of the flap being pushed open, though they depend on batteries and should not be treated as a lock. Check what happens when the battery dies: some models fail unlocked.
Tenants should not cut a pet door into a rental property's door without the landlord's written permission, and the lease may prohibit alterations entirely. A removable patio-panel insert is often the practical answer, because it leaves no permanent change.
In condominiums, suite doors are usually fire-rated and controlled by the corporation's rules, so cutting one is normally not permitted. Balcony and patio doors may also be common elements. Ask management before making any change; see buying a condo: suite locks, fobs and building rules.
If you have a storm door in front of the main door, both need a route for the pet, which usually means a flap in each or a wall unit instead. The page on storm and screen door locks explains why storm door frames are light and how their hardware behaves.
Patio-panel inserts sit in the sliding door track and are held by the door closing against them. They need a secondary lock or a bar in the track, because the panel itself does not secure the door. The patio door lock and handle page covers sliding door hardware.
A pet door is a hole in the building envelope. Poor seals let cold air, rain and snow in, and a draught around the opening can make the room uncomfortable and raise heating costs. Check the seal each autumn along with the rest of the door.
Ice can also stop a flap closing fully, leaving a gap. The page on frozen or stiff locks in winter covers the wider winter checks worth doing on exterior doors.
We can assess whether a door is suitable, advise on placement relative to the lock, reinforce the strike and hinges so the door still resists forcing, fit or adjust deadbolts and thumbturn options, and repair doors and frames that have been weakened by a previous installation.
Cutting the door itself is usually carpentry or a door specialist's work, and for wall units it is a building job. We will say which parts we handle and which belong to another trade rather than cutting a door we cannot properly reseal.
A pet door is one of the few security decisions that a household tends to make on behalf of an animal rather than themselves, and it is worth a short conversation before anything is cut. Who locks the panel at night, and will that actually happen? Does anyone in the house find the flap draughty or noisy? Is the pet likely to use it, or will the door end up sealed shut after a month?
Those questions decide the right product as much as the hardware specification does. A household that will not use a locking panel is better served by a wall unit with a controlled flap than by a large opening in the main entrance door, and a pet that ignores the flap leaves you with an opening for no benefit at all.
When you call, describe the door, its material, where you want the pet opening and what lock is fitted. Photographs of both sides of the door help. Our posted hours appear below, and we do not promise a fixed arrival time. The residential locksmith page covers other work around the home.
Keep reading
It depends on the size and position. A flap sized for a large dog can be large enough for a person, especially on a side or basement door that is out of sight. Even a smaller opening can matter if it is close enough to let someone reach the inside thumbturn with a hand or a tool. Keeping the opening small, low and as far from the lock as the door allows reduces both risks, and a wall or patio-panel unit avoids cutting the main door at all.
It depends on the size and position. A flap sized for a large dog can be large enough for a person, especially on a side or basement door that is out of sight. Even a smaller opening can matter if it is close enough to let someone reach the inside thumbturn with a hand or a tool. Keeping the opening small, low and as far from the lock as the door allows reduces both risks, and a wall or patio-panel unit avoids cutting the main door at all.
Not in the main entrance door, if you can avoid it. A wall-mounted unit or a patio-panel insert in a sliding door track leaves the door, the lock and the frame untouched. If it has to go in a door, choose a solid door onto a fenced yard rather than a front, side or basement door facing a driveway or lane, and keep the opening low and centred, well away from the deadbolt.
It removes material, which matters more on some doors than others. Solid wood and solid-core doors cope well. Steel and fibreglass doors can usually be cut following the manufacturer's instructions, but a poorly sealed cut lets moisture into the core. Hollow-core doors are unsuitable for exterior use in the first place. Check the door warranty too, since many manufacturers void it once the slab is modified.
Almost certainly not. Suite doors in condominium buildings are usually fire-rated assemblies, and cutting one would affect its rating and breach the corporation's rules. Balcony and patio doors are often common elements as well. Ask management before making any change. In most buildings the practical answer for pets is a different arrangement entirely rather than an opening in the door.
Only with the landlord's written permission, and many leases prohibit alterations to doors. A removable patio-panel insert in a sliding door track is often acceptable because it leaves no permanent change and can be taken out at the end of the tenancy. Get the agreement in writing before buying anything, and keep the original hardware if any is removed so the property can be restored.
They keep out neighbourhood animals and reduce the chance of a flap being pushed open, which is useful. Treat them as a convenience rather than a lock: they depend on batteries, and some models fail unlocked when the battery dies. Check the manufacturer's information on what happens at low power. Whatever flap you use, the main door still needs a deadbolt that throws fully into a solid strike.
Yes, when the house will be empty for a long period or overnight. It takes seconds and closes the opening completely. The reason people stop using them is storage: a panel kept in the garage never gets used. Keep it beside the door. If your household would never use it in practice, that is worth knowing before choosing a large flap in an exterior door.
Yes, it is an opening in the building envelope. Poor seals let cold air, rain and snow in, and the flap can be held open by ice in winter. Check the seal each autumn with the rest of the door, and make sure the flap closes fully and sits flat. If a room has become draughty since the pet door was fitted, the seal or the fit of the unit is usually the cause.
Describe the door, hardware and service address. Contact GTA Lockman Mobile Locksmith Services to confirm the scope and scheduling for your location.
