ABOUT US

PetAccessDangers.org is an advocacy organization dedicated to raising awareness of the little known danger pet doors can pose in households with young children. Extensive research has uncovered more than 70 cases where children have lost or nearly lost their lives after exiting their home through a pet door, but that number could be much higher since often times it is not recorded how a child accessed the outdoors.

Most parents would never leave an exterior door wide open with a child inside, but that is in essence what’s happening when a doggie door is present. With unsupervised access to the outdoors, children are exposed to the myriad of dangers that exist there, including water hazards, traffic, animals, abduction, and other danger.

Manufacturers of products have a duty to warn consumers of potential dangers associated with their product. Warnings by most pet door manufacturers of this danger are non-existent or insufficient. This must change.

PetAccessDangers.org also advocates for revisions in the reporting methods utilized by first responders or other entities involved in accidents. More accurate data on the cause of the accident, in this case how the child accessed the outdoors, would aid consumer advocacy groups in tracking and reporting serious public dangers such as this one.

We need your help. If this strikes a chord with you, or if you have personally lost a child through an accident involving a pet access door, we hope you will join us in our mission. Please join our discussion, read the research and become involved in making this issue known.

Who We Are:

PetAccessDangers.org was founded by Carol Ranfone, mother to Matthew who drowned after accessing the pool through a pet door. The mission of the organization is to increase the public’s awareness of pet access/pet door dangers, raise support through public advocacy and encourage the industry to make the necessary changes in the form of better warnings and alternative designs.