Pet doors pose danger to children

In the last decade, more than 100 children have been injured or drowned after exiting their homes through a pet door and falling into backyard pools.

Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, a safety consulting firm in Rehoboth, Mass., said pet door-related drownings have been under-reported because most accidental drownings are classified only by cause of death or injury and do not identify how the child accessed the water.

Kane researched the number of pet door-related drownings at the request of trial lawyers representing families whose children drowned after crawling through pet doors.

“Child injury researchers are well aware of the link between pet access doors and child injury and death, but many parents and caregivers do not appreciate the risk associated with use of a pet door, and how young children can drown, become lost, wander into streets, or otherwise become seriously injured or killed after exiting a home through a pet door,” he said.

Carol Ranfone, the mother of a 2-year-old boy who died after he slipped through a pet door into a backyard pool in Orlando, Fla., has launched a website PetAccessDangers.org - to raise awareness about the issue.