Put the "doggie Door" through the wall to the side of the door.

doggie doors have a lock ... you can lock it one way (they can go out or come in) or shut completely.
Aside from cutting the screen so it would move you could leave the screen open while dogs are able to use the door.
Just remember to lock that doggie door in the evening or you might just have those unwanted visitors.

lazy pup has a good idea. put the doggie
door thru the wall.

best of luck

Thanks, all, for the advice. I was kinda hoping to not cut a hole in the wall--seems easier to just do doggie doors--resale value and all.

Food for thought. Thanks again!

Smiles,
Sooz

Sooz-
I thought the same thing, but got tired of the cold air leaking around the doggie door, and eventually broke down and bought one for the wall. It's really nice, and I built it into a nook bench so it's not even noticeable from inside at all. Of course if you have bigger dogs this may not work for you...
It was very easy to install and I love the look and function of it. I used the 'through the wall' door from Hale Pet Doors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hale Pet Doors

We have a 6' slider so we couldn't use a regular insert without having to "suck it in" to squeeze through, and there was no where for us to install the doggie door in the wall. We ended up putting it temporarily in the side door on the opposite end of the family room, but I still really want to switch it out for one of these:

http://www.petdoors.com/pet-door-guys-in-the-glass.html?gclid=COuykJXi0LACFUSK4AodK2zrZA

I love the idea because the doggie door is cut into the actual pane of glass in your slider so you can still use the slider like it's not even there. Here is the company's website: http://www.petdoorguys.com/.

Wow, great links, Gal and Lara! Thank you so much--wonderful options for us to consider!
Smiles,
Sooz

What if your house is brick? I also have a rational fear of any kind of wildlife coming in (day or night) and a probably irrational fear of the Home Alone kind. That is where an intruder comes in...I don't have a small child to set booby traps but a dog who would probably greet them with some really wet kisses that would only scare off a germaphobe!

I had a dog when I lived in the country, where she could roam at will and we almost never locked our doors. Now that I live in a city, I own only cats, as it is just cruel to limit a dog to a city sized lot and a crate for when you are gone. My cats are strictly indoor, although I did have a tuxedo who liked walking on a leash--did that ever get some stares!

"Now that I live in a city, I own only cats, as it is just cruel to limit a dog to a city sized lot and a crate for when you are gone."

I think many would disagree with that premise.

DH & I have whelped about 10 litters of basset hounds over the past 25-30 years, all while liviing in the city, with the last 27 being in the inner city. We also had an average of 6 adults for a lot of those years & none seemed paricularily troubled that they didn't have fields to run in. The majority were show champions & were quite content with the freedom a dog door allowed; one was a little retarded & we had to keep him crated if no one was home because he'd start fights but that had nothing to do with the lot. The yard had a lot of scars but our dogs have been known for their sweet temperments.

Sooz, when we lived in rental houses & couldn't cut into the landlords' doors, we always stored the original & bought a cheap, paintable hollowcore & put the dog door in that. When we bought our current old house, we wound up doing the same thing for our basement door & added a window to the top portion. I have only 2 dogs now but can't imagine not having a dog door.

The first time one of my dogs brought a possum in through a dog door was the last day that dog door was in operation.
NOT a fun day.
Now they are on a schedule determined by outdoor temperature and it works best for all of us.
I determine when they go in and out, not them :)

I have even had litter box doors for inside house cats.

Liter box in the basement, pet door in the basement door.