Why aren't you spying on your dog? A handy guide to using pet cams. DATE: 2024-05-24 18:14:03
Forget Shark Week, it’s Bark Week on Mashable. Join us as we celebrate all the good dogs, which we humans do not deserve.
Ever kissed your faithful pooch goodbye before a long day at the office and wondered what the heck he's planning on doing all day?
Will he spend hours gazing out the window and mournfully awaiting your return? Maybe he knows how to turn on the television and will finish binging Queer Eye.Or perhaps he'll take advantage of your absence and do all the things he knows deep down he's not supposed to — like sniff around your closet or hop up on the table.
If you're curious about what your furry friends are up to when you're gone, there's only one way to find out: Start spying on your pets.
SEE ALSO:Puppy gets caught eating paper, decides to leave no witnessesNow the word "spying" sounds pretty hardcore. To clarify, we're not suggesting you hire a private investigator or even spend your lunch break going back home to check on your pet.
Our version of spying is mucheasier, and pretty entertaining, if we do say so ourselves. Simply invest in a pet monitoring camera so you can tune in via phone or computer from miles away to see how your dog's doing when your watchful eye isn't physically in the house.
Alone time is great, and even animals need their privacy, but installing a security camera to check in on your pet has some serious benefits. Let's examine a few of the most important, shall we?
1. You can see when they're misbehaving
The first perk of a pet cam, of course, is that it will allow you to catch any wrongdoings that might take place in your absence.
Cameras will give you the opportunity to see if your pooch is reallythe Good Boy you think or if it's all an act. And if you have multiple pets it's very helpful when it comes to solving mysteries like who's to blame for all the shoe munching?
For instance, a camera helped Twitter user @sofreakingsuper learn that her dog's the one breaking rules and chewing up her paint brushes while she's at work, while her cat just naps all day. Gotta love teens.
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Sometimes you'll learn your pet's using the wrong bed, climbing on furniture, eating people food, and then dramatically falling off the furniture, which is far from ideal.
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And pet cameras aren't justfor home use. If you leave your furry friend at a kennel or day care while you're traveling for a few days, be sure to check if there's a video feed you could tune in to from afar.
That's what Mashable Culture Writer Marcus Gilmer did when he was visiting our New York office, and he wound up discovering his precious pup Charlie was chillin' in timeout 470 miles away.
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Warning: In select cases like theses pet cameras do have the potential to break your heart. :(
2. You can capture pure content gold
Pet monitoring cameras record a ton of joyful, hilarious, and impressive "you have to see it to believe it" moments, too, though.
Allow Mashable editor Adam Rosenberg, who temporarily placed his dog camera in the bathroom to capture his talented dog Fozzie's weird but intriguing AF little toilet-adjacent contortions, to prove us right.
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And while they sometimes like to hang out near toilet bowls, your pets aresmart, so on occasion they donotice they're being watched. If we're being honest, those moments always thoroughly entertaining to witness.
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Good job, pups — you caught your humans being kind of creepy!
3. You can hang out with your pets all day
Perhaps one of the ultimate pet cam perks is that it allows you to hang out with your pets ALL THE TIME.
When you're on a No Pets Allowed trip and feeling guilty about leaving them behind, check the cam. When you're having a bad day and need some cheering up, check the cam. And when you're bored at work, wishing your pets were by your side to make the day more bearable, pull up the camera's feed on your computer screen. It'll almost feel like you're hanging out all day!
Mashable's Executive Editor Annie Colbert, who is a few steps and a pencil skirt away from turning into Angela Martin, the uptight cat lady from The Office, does it all the time.(Annie, if you're reading this, we love watching your cat cam and you are much nicer than Angela).
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4. Peace of mind
Maybe you feel your pets totally have things under control when you step out and the thought of investing in a security type camera has never even crossed your mind, or perhaps you've been on the fence about dropping some dollars on even moretechnology. But whatever your stance is, there's no doubt a pet camera will, at the very least, give you peace of mind.
Cameras give you the convenience of checking on your pet whenever, wherever. And sure, your pet might just wind up sleeping all day or walking around the house, but wouldn't you rather know they're safe then have to keep wondering?
And though their time alone in the house might be totally uneventful, seeing pets simply exist and behave when no one watching is extremely heartwarming. JUST LOOK AT ALL THESE GOOD DOGS! 😭😭😭 They deserve extra treats when their owners return home.
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Pet spying 101
If you're so convinced by this persuasive argument for spying on your pets that you're now looking for the perfect pet cam, you're in luck!
There are a lot of great cameras made with pets in mind, and even some interactive cameras, like Petcube and Furbo, that allow you to talk to, play with, or dispense treats to your pets while you're gone at the push of a button.
Though, as several camera owners have learned, the extra high-tech ones may give your pet the false impression you're standing outside the door or inspire them to do nothing other than sit in front of the device all day eagerly awaiting treats.
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Another thing to keep in mind is that the camera doesn't necessarily have to be pet specific, which means you can use most any household security camera with a feed, like Google's Nest devices.
What's the verdict?
Pet monitoring cameras seem great, right? I mean, as far as I can see, the only downside to installing one could be that you wind up spending toomuch time checking in on your furry friends.
You know when new parents go out for the first time and politely keep excusing themselves to call the babysitter 24,659,742 times to see if their baby is lost without them or like still blinking at a normal rate? Yeah, don't use the pet camera for that.
We regret to inform you that your pet is probably getting along just fine without you. The camera is just a helpful way to make them feel a littlecloser despite the distance between you.
So if you've ever been the least bit curious about your pet's behavior or wellbeing when you're separated, why not take the plunge and start spying? At the very least, you'll have a greater peace of mind knowing you can digitally look out for your pet, and maybe if you're reallylucky, your camera will capture an LOL-worthy moment.
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