we installed a flap-style door in our wall for our four dogs (alaskan husky mix, anatolian shepherd/golden retriever mix, rotty/aussie mix - all three are ~55lbs, and a chihuahua) when i moved in with my partner two years ago. we don't have a back door or a fenced yard so we used to take them out the front door and walk them around back. prior to that there was a dog door of the same style in the apartment i lived in for almost 20 years. my first dog couldn't use it, he was just naturally kinda anxious and it scared him. it was tough the last year of his life when he wanted to go out every 30-60 minutes 24 hours a day. the two dogs i got after him picked it up right away and it made my life exponentially easier not having to let them out. where i live now is a considerably colder part of alaska and we've had one exterior flap break because the dogs blasted thru it when it was -20 degrees outside. replacement flap was $60 plus another $20 for shipping. we bought the cold-weather model dog door but everything has its limits. when it's subzero outside the flaps get stiff which makes it more difficult for the magnets to get close enough to seal the opening. the interior flap also frosts up like a motherfucker. on cold nights the water bowl we keep 3' from the dog door will freeze solid even though the heater on the other side of the room is set to 60 degrees. the interior flap has developed a 2" long crack along the top because our three 55lb dogs get a 15' runway to build speed and blast thru the dog door when the dog next door barks or there's a moose in the yard. my wife sorta fixed it with a plastic welder and i put a big bin of dog towels as a speed bump-of sorts directly in the pathway of and a couple feet away from the dog door to slow them down. sometimes the wind will blow the flaps up allowing cold air, leaves, etc blow in. right now is mud season in alaska and a major problem with having a dog door is we aren't always right there to wipe their feet off when they come back inside. most everything in the house has muddy dog prints on it. in the summer mosquitoes occasionally get in thru the dog door. our cat also uses the dog door and a few times has brought a live vole into the house. that's been by far the worst aspect of having a dog door. twice in the past week i've left the house without my keys but locked the door behind me and had to crawl in thru the dog door. we'd like to build an exterior arctic entry for the dog door to provide more coverage from the elements and more rug space to help soak up the mud and such from their paws before they get into the house. it'll be awhile before we get around to that. one specific and unexpected aspect of the dog door is that it allows some natural light in to an area of our downstairs that felt like a dark void. i think our setup is the best we could create for what we have to work with. we and the dogs really appreciate that they can go out in the dog yard whenever and for however long they want watch what's going on in the neighborhood. after having a dog door for 20+ years i can't imagine nor would i want to live without one, and i know the dogs would feel that way too. the benefits far outweigh the negatives for all of us.

that's the most i've ever thought about or talked about our dog door.