Woof, woof, can we hear you?

What a joy it is for a dog when their owner returns home, even if he has only been away for an hour, for example!

Dogs perceive time differently than we do, so one hour may seem like an eternity.

The time when their owner is not at home is especially difficult for dogs who got their owner during the epidemic. Due to the lockdown, they were with their owner all the time, and now that people are going to work and school again, we can spend less time with our furry friends.

A dog that was previously accustomed to human company misses its owner all the more.

Researcher and dog lover Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas thus came up with a solution. This is a dog phone through which a dog can call their owner.

When a sensor in the ball moves, it triggers a video call on the computer. Communication is mutual, as the owner can also call the dog.

The researcher tested the dog phone with her 10-year-old Labrador Zach, who called her five times a day towards the end.

Many of the calls Zach made most likely happened unintentionally. He called her once, for example, because he accidentally moved the ball while looking for toys in his crib.

But when she called him, he rarely answered. The fact that the dog can decide for himself is an advantage of the device.

»The owner can monitor where the dog is, call him or feed him remotely. But it all depends on the owner and the dog has no choice,« explains Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas.

»Now the dog can also have a choice. Although we may not understand his decision, this does not mean that he should not make a decision.«

Points To Consider

1. Why do dogs perceive time differently?
2. How does a dog behave when he is happy?
3. Would your dog use such a device?

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The original version of this article was published on December 2nd.

English translation courtesy of JL Flanner, Total Slovenia News, an English language website with news from and about Slovenia.