Many pet owners consider their cats and dogs to be on a par with their children, and I'm no exception. For many of us, that even means buying baby gates just like a toddler's parents might have to do. It's a nice alternative to containing your dog without using a crate.

My house is riddled with baby gates because Bolt only gets along with two out of my four cats. The other two have the upstairs as their sanctuary during the day.

Bolt also has to be kept out of the room where my birds and guinea pigs live, and there's additional quarantining that has to be done at bedtime when we shuffle the cats and dogs around.

Nice Baby Gate Alternative

Baby gates are okay, but let's face it, they're rather ugly, and they leave marks on your wall. I'm moving to a new house soon, and I really don't want to scuff up the pristine paint job. I know I'll still have to divide up the spaces, so I was very happy that Animal Planet sent my one of their wooden pet gates for review.

This particular pet gate stands on its own, so there's no need to wedge it in a door frame and leave unsightly marks. I was worried that it might tip over easily without that sort of support, especially since the box felt relatively light when it was delivered. I need not have worried, as the gate is very study and stands up nicely when you angle the panels. It also looks so much better than a traditional baby gate. I'll have dark wood floors in my new house, and its nice dark wood finish will match almost perfectly.

The gate is 63" by 30". Bolt is a small dog, but he can jump pretty high when properly motivated, so I was a little worried that he'd go over the fence. Thankfully, he doesn't even seem to be considering it. I have it in the hallway right now, and it's standing up sturdily and dissuading him from bothering the bird or trying to sneak a disgusting snack out of the powder room litter box.

Very Easy to Use

Because the Animal Planet Wooden Pet Gate is freestanding, you can angle it to provide a little space if the spot where you're using it is narrow enough. The way I have it set up is to leave a gap that's small enough for our older cat to go through so she can reach the litter box, but Bolt's just a little too big to follow her. The gate is light and flexible enough for humans to move easily when they want to go through it.

Ultimately, the Animal Planet Wooden Pet Gate will be used upstairs on carpet in my new house, and I expect it to stand just as solidly as it currently does on the tile. It's wide enough to go across the hallway with room to spare, so I'll be able to angle it with that little bit of cat pass-through space just like I'm doing right now.

Granted, if you had a larger dog or one that jumps aggressively, this product probably wouldn't work for you since a large, heavy canine could push it over. Fortunately, most dogs aren't that keen on jumping 30 inches, and they usually won't body slam a barrier. Gates and small dogs go hand in hand, and I'm happy that Animal Planet has a sturdy, good-looking alternative to the ugly baby gates that dog owners have had to make do with for years.