Screen door for doggie passthrough while keeping out bugs

Submitted by mtzvhmltng t3_11g5yrt in BuyItForLife

I've bought the screen door in the image four times in the last 2 years. It's a brilliant product - the magnets open for the dogs to go outside, and then automatically close behind them. And the installation is fairly easy. It's much better than having a normal sliding screen door, which would also be much harder and more expensive to replace after damage. This thing is fairly inexpensive, and if I have to pay ~$25 2x/year for the convenience of letting the dogs go in and out without letting in bugs, then so be it.

The problem is, these screens aren't durable at all, at least not against dogs, who are the intended beneficiaries of the product. Dog's nails scratch holes in the base of the screen and eventually the holes are so egregious that the dog will get a paw stuck in it and then drag the whole screen off the velcro. And it hurts my conscience to keep trashing these things so frequently, because they're surely not any type of biodegradable.

Requesting a suggestion for a more durable version of this, or a more eco-friendly version, or some other "let dogs in and out without letting in bugs" solution. Preferably not a doggie door because I don't think I could convince my parents to go for that, unless it's as easy and non-destructive to install as this thing.

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SillyCubensis t1_jamwe6t wrote

Not sure of the answer, but I’m definitely interested in the solution.

Maybe DIY it with pet proof screen?

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ReverendIrreverence t1_jan14xa wrote

They make stainless steel screen material which I would expect to be more robust than nylon. Sew or glue on a few magnets

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qdtk t1_janknla wrote

Replying to mtzvhmltng (#2,145,479)

Try a sample first. You will probably lose the benefits of the auto close feature. The steel can be really stiff. So once a dog pushes it open it’s unlikely it will fall back closed. You might have to experiment a little.

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mtzvhmltng OP t1_janurbl wrote

Replying to qdtk (#2,146,279)

smart yeah. it'll probably take a trip to the hardware store to get hands-on first. but what i'm picturing in my head is like... maybe it will slap back into place but with a wub wub wub sound instead of a graceful float back to the magnet closure.

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justfivepents t1_janzhny wrote

I know I am not truly giving the answer you want, but I am interested to see what Reddit comes up with. I ordered a slightly different one the first one was built more robustly and lasted 3 years. So, looked up my order history and I reordered the same screen. However, it feels cheaper and probably won’t last as long. I have had it for only 3 months but it still looks new.screen door

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aneeta96 t1_jao011a wrote

I bought one of these about six or seven years ago. Still no tears and my 75 lb dog loves to burst through it at full speed.

https://bugoffscreen.com

It's a nylon mesh but maybe a heavier one then what you got. Uses a spring tensioned rod to mount in the doorway which needs to be readjusted every so often and sometimes the dog will step on the screen and pull it down partially but no rips.

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brooklynrockz t1_japa7i8 wrote

AH ! I found a solution for our two giant dogs. The question is why screen? If it is just to keep flies outside, look for a chain curtain to hang in your doorway. I've hung two of those on my porch. The flys stay out and the dogs romp right thru it. At the end of summer, I roll it up and take it down.

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SillyCubensis t1_jaqotfm wrote

Replying to mtzvhmltng (#2,145,198)

Go to your local hardware store or screen shop.

The pet-proof stuff is heavier and consists of nylon threads coated with rubber.

You can also get aluminum screen, but it’s pretty stiff. I don’t think it would work very well.

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