It's always hard to leave your pets behind at home. By the time we get home, our four-legged friends are jumping up and begging for a treat. And even though we don't really know what they've been doing all day, how can we resist those adorable puppy eyes?
Now there is a way for owners and pets to stay connected throughout the day thanks to this pet camera from the startup Petzila. Called the Petzi Treat Cam, it also distributes treats while you are away.
"It's one of the situations where the light bulb went on," Petzila CEO David Clark says. "Your dog's your best friend, you always have your phone with you, virtually every conversation you have about pets turns to showing pictures on your phone, and why wouldn't you be able to talk to your pet and connect with all of today's technology and resources that exist?"
Petzi Treat Cam is equipped with a HD camera that delivers up to 720p video, along with a microphone, so you can check on and interact with your cat or dog once you leave your home.
Download the accompanying app, connect to your home's Wi-Fi, and you will be able to see, speak to, snap pictures, and send treats to your pet. Make sure to mount the Petzi to the wall, hang it from a staircase, place it on a countertop, or wherever your pet hangs out the most, and fill it with up to 100 of your pets favorite treats.
Petzila has just announced a collaboration with Big Heart Pet Brands to help with marketing, branding, and retail distribution, but Clark says what's important about this product is that it's "treat agnostic," so any size or brand of treat will work with the product.
When you want to connect with your pet, log into the app and the Petzi will release a jingle, like a Pavlovian bell that will alert your pet that they are about to hear their master's voice and get a treat, so they come running.
The Petzi has a low-light IR video capture, rich extended range audio, motion detection, and the camera is at an angle to create what Clark calls a "pet stage."
You then can see and take pictures of your pet waiting for their treat and share it on the "social petwork." Tap the button and the pet camera will distribute one to three treats depending on their size. The treats are ejected in a random pattern outward for up to two to three feet, making the interaction a game.
"First and foremost, it allows you to share your pet getting the treat — and science has shown that humans release endorphins and dopamine when they treat a dog because it makes them feel good as much as the dog gets excited — but just as importantly, it makes it a game for the dog. They are all excited just as if you were playing ball with them," Clark says.
Thanks to data from its app, the company has been to analyze social interaction between people, canines and felines, finding that owners check in three times a day (at 10 a.m., noon, and 3-4 p.m. for an average of one and a half minutes.
Whether it's your pet's snack time or you just want to connect with you fur baby, Pet Treat Cam is pioneering the pet tech sector.
Petzi launched on an Indiegogo campaign, and began shipping its beta in December. Retail shipping of the Petzi Treat Cam will start in July online and through retailers for $169.99.
Petzila's team will showcase the treat cam June 23 to 25 at CE Week held in New York City.
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