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Some burglars squeeze easily through doggy doors

Posted at 6:04 PM, Apr 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-05 13:34:05-04
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Some low-down burglars robbed a 91-year old woman at gunpoint---and they got in through a doggy door.
 
It happened in Phoenix about 1:00 AM Sunday.  After they got what they wanted, they took off in her car.  Police found them quickly and hauled them in.
 
Dog doors let in more burglars than you'd think but we have some solid tips to help keep you safe.
 
The little flap that makes life easy for Max the dog can make life easier for burglars too.  With a little determination and a lot of flexibility a fairly large man can slip through a dog door.
 
"In a lot of cases the burglar doesn't have to get their entire body through the dog door.  All they have to do is get their hand through and be able to reach a lock they can open."
        
That's what happened in a Tucson case last summer. 
         
Robert didn't want us to show his face.  He heard dogs barking and looked over his neighbor's fence
 
“And lo, and behold there was some guy standing at her back door, putting on a mask and getting in through the doggy door. He reached up and unlocked the lock."
     
Robert called police but the burglar was able to jump the fence and get away.
 
At Tucson Dog Doors, Erin Provancha works for convenience for your dog, but security for your house.
       
She favors tough doors no bigger than your dog needs and says dog doors that mount in your wall give you deeper frames harder for a burglar to twist his way through.
        
If you do install in a door, do it so the lock's out of reach.
 
Provancha says, "The way I often recommend for clients is to install the dog door here, more towards the hinge side of the door so that it's farther away from the handle."
          
That way a dog door can keep out the bad boys, and let in a good boy like Max.